Like vodka, it’s a grain-neutral spirit—in this case, distilled from barley, brown sugar, buckwheat, rice or sweet potatoes, instead of the potatoes, wheat or rye most often used for vodka. Like vodka, it isn’t aged, and thus it can be infused with a variety of flavors.

But it has half the calories of vodka, and a fine artisan vodka is smooth with no burn—great for sipping.

Shochu dates back at least to the 16th century. It is most often used in mixed drinks, but some artisan shochus are smooth enough for straight sipping.

We recently tried Haamonii “ultra premium” shochu, smooth as silk. The Haamonii Lemon Shochu is a special treat: It has the nose of lemon-infused vodka, and the palate of a sweet lemon-vodka cocktail.

• Read the full review to learn all about shochu, ways to use it and of course, cocktail recipes.
• Check out our Cocktails & Spirits section for more of our favorite drinks.

Haamonii shochu is indeed harmonious.
Photo by Katharine Pollak | THE NIBBLE.