Melo Villareal
Japanese Drinks: Popular Beverages in Japanese Restaurants
It is plausible for most people to land the best Japanese cuisines, given that sushi, sashimi, tempura, teriyaki and other dishes from the gamut of choices carry on a popularity that is not limited in Japan. Most of the time, though, customers make mistakes of matching the platter-full of food with the wrong choice of beverages.
True enough, Japanese drinks are not as infamous as the dishes are. It is then imperative to know more about popular beverages in Japanese restaurants to avoid randomly selecting from the pool of unfamiliar names of drinks and end up enduring the taste of your choice until the end of a dining experience.
Various Kinds of Japanese Tea
People from Japan are notorious for being health buffs. Teas with different health benefits then are most likely to be found in the menus of many Japanese restaurants. The choices may include:
1. Sencha and Brancha
The standard table teas in Japan. There’s not much difference between these two, except that Bancha is the cheaper version of Sencha. Bancha then often has a grassy and bitter taste, while Sensha is known to have a suave consistency fused with sweet, spinach taste.
2. Hojicha
“Yummier” version of the Bancha. It is made by roasting the tea leaves of bancha to add a hint of earthy flavour and smoky aroma.
3. Kukicha
Also produced by roasting, but the ingredients include twigs of tea bushes. This has more nutty taste that goes well with spicy dishes.
4. Matcha and Kokeicha
These beverages are often served in quaint Japanese tea ceremonies as a way to show respect and hospitality. Matcha refers to the green tea powder added to hot water that has been whipped using a wooden whisk to have a frothy consistency. Kokeicha, on the other hand, uses the same green tea powder but is made into a paste and molded to mimic the shape of green tea leaves.
5.Gyokuro
The tea of the elite. This is often a best-seller as it is a high-waulity green tea. The leaves used in making the beverage is harvested from the end of growing season thus having more chlorophyll contents. This gives the tea a richer taste with moderated flavour as a result of lesser tannin.
6. Genmaicha
Green tea with roasted rice kernels, thus having a glucose-y taste cahractreized by a moderately thick consistency
Japanese Alcoholic Drinks
Japanese are also fond of socializing with different types of liquor. Somehow being parallel to the dining style of the Europeans, alcoholic drinks are served in many restaurants to enhance the flavour of the dishes. Most menus contain the following selections:
1. Sake / Nihonshu
Brewed rice, water and white koji. It can be served either hot or cold
2. Shochu
Also made from rice, but with higher alcohol content (20-40%). Usuallr served with water and ice, fruit juice and sparkling water
3. Happoshu (sparkling alcohol)
Beer with a lighter taste as it is made with lesser malt
4. Chuchai
Cocktail drink equivalent. These usually come in fruity flavours like lemon, peach, mandarin orange, lime, ume and peach. High-end restaurants may have available flavours like pineapple, white pear and nashi.
Do you have something to add? Whats your favorite Japanese drinks?
