From March 9th to March 12th, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, JSS, participated in FOODEX JAPAN 2021, the International Food and Beverage Exhibition held at Makuhari Messe.
JSS organized a tasting stand and cocktail event at the exhibition to promote and understand honkaku (authentic) shochu and awamori.
World-class bartenders Shingo Gokan and Joshin Atone were invited to the venue to appeal honkaku shochu and awamori to overseas buyers who were unable to attend due to the corona virus.
Report on Honkaku Shochu and Awamori at FOODEX JAPAN 2021 by Shingo Gokan and Joshin Atone
https://youtu.be/1qWupU8-nzo
Gokan commented: “There are different types of honkaku shochu made using various natural ingredients. Since you can sense the unique aroma derived from each ingredient, by all means, please come to Japan to enjoy honkaku shochu, the national liquor of Japan, together with us.”
Atone commented: “Because honkaku shochu is distilled once, it can be used to create a wide range of flavors and aromas from the ingredients. When making cocktails, the flavors of the ingredients can be matched to create a sense of unity, so it can be used in a wider range of cocktails.”
They both agreed that a cocktail made with honkaku shochu would be familiar to people all over the world.
Profile of Shingo Gokan
Since coming to the United States in 2006, Gokan has opened up a new world of cocktails by combining the bold ideas he had cultivated through his long experience abroad with Japanese delicacies. He participated in the 2012 Bacardi Global Legacy Cocktail Competition as a representative of the United States and won after a dramatic final judgment. In 2017, he was awarded the Tales of the Cocktail International Bartender of the Year, considered to be the Academy Award equivalent of the bar industry. In 2019, he was awarded the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender award, the highest award for an individual in Asia’s 50 Best Bars award, and he was named in the Bar World 100, a list of the 100 most influential people in the bar industry.
Press Inquiries
Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association PR Office
Shimura / Yoshimura, +81-3-5909-8091
