Every month on the Eat-Japan site we’re going to be uploading some new recipes for you to try, based on a seasonal theme or ingredient. This month, what with Christmas just round the corner, we’ve picked up a few recipes that are quick, easy and perfect for a party – and suggested you accompany them with sake, Japan’s best known alcoholic export.

Whilst sake has become a familiar part of the English lexicon, shochu, my favourite Japanese drink, is much less well-known – despite both words being in the Oxford English Dictionary. The rather unappealing entry for shochu describes it as “a rough Japanese spirit distilled from any of various ingredients, including sake dregs”. Lovely. The “various ingredients” mentioned here, however, aren’t the vegetable peelings and leftovers one might expect. Shochu can be distilled from rice – like sake – or sweet potatoes (known as imo-jochu, this has a particularly pungent smell which can put people off if it’s their first experience with shochu), barley or buckwheat. In recent years it has enjoyed increasing popularity in Japan, and the rest of the world is starting to catch on too.

Now, I either like to drink it the oyaji (old codger) way, mixed with plenty of hot water with a pickled umeboshi plum nestling at the bottom of the glass. It’s supposed to be excellent for the digestion. On the rocks is nice too, but I’ve dug out a couple of slightly more classy alternatives. Doesn’t everyone end up buying at least one random bottle of spirits during the festive season – even if it’s only sherry for Grandma? Well, this year I shall be making mine a bottle of shochu, and trying out the following:

Winter Martini: Yuki Gesho

2.5 measures shochu
1 measure dry vermouth
A twist of lemon

Stir gently, and strain into a chilled glass and add a twist of lemon or an olive if desired

Sazanami

5 ice cubes
Juice of one lemon
½ teaspoon of syrup (or white sugar)
The white of one egg
Three measures of shochu
A lemon wedge
Some grated lemon rind

Put the ice cubes in a cocktail shaker and pout the lemon juice, syrup, egg white and shochu over them. Shake till frost forms then serve with a lemon wedge in the glass and the rind sprinkled on the top.