Sake Umeshu Shochu Wine

Sake (, pronounced saké) is a typically Japanese alcoholic beverage obtained from the union of ethyl alcohol with liquid derived from rice fermentation. For this reason it is also called "rice wine". It is not classified among distillates, let alone fermented, or even among liqueurs, and constitutes a separate category. Rice wine known in the West as "sake" is of a particular type called nihonshu (, "Japanese alcohol" ) in Japanese. In Japan, the word sake simply means alcoholic beverage,and depending on the region it can take on various specific meanings. In southern Kyushu, sake usually refers to a distilled drink, potato shochu (芋酎 imojōchū). Shochu is a wine made with sugar cane. On the other hand, sake is a term that can also be used for another Okinawan distilled drink,the awamori (泡), literally "transparent dome", or kusu,"old drink". These other forms of sake are distilled from a long-grained rice and kurokoji (麹 kurokōji), "black koji".

Umeshu ( ) is a Japanese liqueur made from maceration of ume (still unripe plum and green) in alcohol (酎 shōchū) (or sake) with the addition of crystallized cane sugar. It has a sweet, slightly sour taste, and an alcohol content of 10-15 degrees. A renowned brand of "umeshu" are Choya and TaKaRa Shuzo. The plums used for this type of liqueur are among the most valuable in Japan. They come mainly from Wakayama (Kishu). These include Nankou Ume, plum with fleshy pulp and small bone. Japanese restaurants serve different varieties of umeshu, including cocktail versions. Umeshu On the Rocks (pronounced umeshu rokku), Umeshu Sour (pronounced umeshu Sawa), Umeshu Tonic (with 2/3 tonic water) and Umeshu Soda (with 2/3 of carbonated water) are very popular variants of this drink. A fashionable custom among young people is to mix this liqueur with green tea (o-cha).

Shōchū ( )酎 a distillate native to Japan. It is most commonly distilled from barley, sweet potatoes or rice. Typically, it contains 25% alcohol by volume (lower than grappa, whisky or vodka but stronger than wine). Multi-distilled Shōchū is not uncommon, which is more like a European liqueur (up to 35% alcohol by volume), but in this case it is traditionally mixed with other less or non-alcoholic beverages.