Wetting your whistle the Okinawan way

FOLKS WITH A THIRST TO QUENCH in Okinawa can choose among many unique local products that produce a wide range of effects. Several new beverages recently released on the market have widened that range of choice even further.

Those who are parched and looking for something stiff could try the liqueurs created by local distillers using awamori, the Okinawan form of the alcoholic beverage shochu. Awamori actually has a separate legal classification in Japan because it is made with a different kind of yeast, and some varieties still use rice from Thailand, where shochu is said to have originated. Of the many shochu distillers in the Okinawan islands, only one produces what is legally called shochu. The rest make awamori.

The Okinawa Awamori Distillers’ Association is getting antsy about declining alcohol consumption among young people, so they came up with the idea of combining the awamori with locally grown fruit and brown sugar to create the liqueurs. That not only fills up their own coffers, it also provides a fillip to agriculture in the islands. They’ve also lowered the alcohol content to make it more drinkable and appeal to the health conscious. The drinks are a relatively low 10% alcohol by volume, which means they are 20 proof by American standards and 17.5 proof by British standards. The target demographic is younger women, and the distillers hope to get the girls started on the habit of downing a glass or two as if it were a cocktail. The new liqueurs cost about 1.5 to 3 times more than awamori itself, but many customers are happy to fork over the extra cash because they like the distinctive flavors.

One example is the awamori coffee liqueur launched by the Kumesen Distillery of Naha last October. They started selling the drink exclusively in gift shops, but when they saw that initial sales were double their projections, the distillers decided to offer it through mass merchandisers and make some real money.

Zuisen Distilleries, also of Naha, have produced an awamori ume liqueur with brown sugar, and more recently developed a liqueur made with local mangoes. They’re searching for sales outlets now. Meanwhile, the Seifuku Distillery in Ishigaki makes a tropical fruit-flavored variety.

The distilleries association recommends that the liqueurs be drunk before meals or, for those posing as worldly sophisticates, at a bar. But they also suggest that serious drinkers stick with the regular awamori. It’s their bread and butter, after all.

Those looking for something more healthful might prefer Ucchin Soda, which the originator Origami promotes as the King of Okinawa Soda. It’s a carbonated soft drink made with turmeric and the shiikwasa citrus fruit and sells for 500 yen a 330-milliliter can. The Soda King has been on the Ryukyu throne since March.

The king of Okinawan soda

Turmeric, called ukon in Japanese, has become increasingly popular in various forms in this country. One of its uses in Okinawa is as a tonic, and the commercial beverage Ukon no Chikara (The Strength of Turmeric) is sold in convenience stores and supermarkets nationwide as a hangover preventive/remedy. Turmeric thrives in areas with tropical temperatures and buckets of rainfall, and that description fits Okinawa to a T. It’s used for dozens of food applications, is said to be good for the liver, solves digestive problems, and is rubbed on the skin as an antiseptic. The critical ingredient is curcumin, which is also used in sealants to stop car radiator leaks. There’s got to be a common connection there somewhere.

The beverage is made with both spring and autumn ukon from Miyakojima and the main Okinawa island. The local shiikwasa citrus fruit was added for sweetness as a contrast with the bitterness of turmeric. It incorporates both the juice and the pulp from the squeezed rinds, which means it has plenty of vegetable fiber. Where else but Okinawa could you get roughage from soda pop?

Ucchin is sold mostly in a Naha market frequented by local shoppers and tourists, and Origami projects sales of 30,000 cans or bottles this year. The company plans to market the beverage as a product for those with discriminating palates who appreciate off-the-wall refreshments in the hope it creates passionate fans and long-term sales.

They also suggest it can be used at bars as a mixer for cocktails. After that, the next question comes naturally: How well would it blend with awamori?

There’s nothing quite like those Okinawan drinks—they build you up and tear you down all at the same time!