The Greatest Selling Alcoholic Beverage.

The world's greatest selling alcoholic beverage.  

Origami Paper

I was on a surprise visit to California, honoring my girlfriend's retirement from her job, in Seat A15 by the window, traveling by myself this trip. I had taken some Japanese paper that you use to make origami. I pulled some out and began to fool around with it. That is kind of how my life is with art, just fooling around.  

The man seated next to me offered to buy me a cocktail, then went ahead to speak with me about Origami. He relayed that his wife was from Japan, originally. That she is big into Origami, and he commented that practice perfects the technique. I wish at that time I had thought to ask him how she does the crane 'cause that's driving me crazy, but that's another story.  

At some point in time, he spoke to me about the drink we were having, I think it might have been vodka. And he asked me if I was familiar with Soju. I said I was not; he went on to tell me that it was an Asian drink found all over Asia, but by different names. In Korea it is called SOJU. In Japan it is called SHOCHU. In China, its name is BAIJIU or SHAOJIU. 

Soju from Korea

We enjoyed the continuing flight, and he went on to ask me if I could give him my boarding passes; he gave me his email address so that I might send him more as time goes by. He's able to turn these into his frequent flyer miles [(?)] He says he gets drink vouchers after collecting so many of these boarding passes. I suspect their frequent flyer program believes that he is flying, not everybody in the world that he has bumped into.  

I didn't give Soju any more thought until I read a comment somewhere that Asian women, particularly Japanese women I think they were talking about, like to have their martinis made with Soju as (a) they don't get drunk as easily; and (b) they can enjoy more than one cocktail. This is because the average alcohol content is between 25-35 proof. So, it is a lower proof than Gin or Vodka (40 proof.)  

Time passed.  Then one day I noticed Soju at my local liquor store, and they had quite a bit of it. What I learned in asking, was that the college nearby has many students from Asia, and they particularly buy the Soju, the larger the bottle the better; and they buy it very often, I was informed. 

So, I picked up a bottle and “fooled around a little bit” with it. Made some cocktails for my girlfriend with it. Tried to let it take the place of gin, not too successfully. Might be that it would be better suited to Bols GENEVER, because of its malt-like flavor.  I have used it as part of the ratio of a Cosmo, and it has been successful. I think it has more of an effect of what you are used to tasting. So, if you are accustomed to using Gin it is going to take some time before you might be able to wrap your head around Soju. 

I learned that Soju is the largest selling alcoholic beverage in the world.  Now that really struck me! F.n.1 

 

 

Foot note 1:  BBC reports that Chinese Company “Kweichow Moutai” is the most valuable publicly trading company in China. It's the producer of China’s most prestigious liquor brand. 

Squawking Crow Origami, Under Construction
[Not as easy as it looks.]

Boisson

Cosmopolitan Cocktail    

.5 part Gin 

.5 part Soju, Shochu or Baijiu (25 % alcohol or 50 proof,)

.5 part  Bols Triple Sec 

.5 part lime juice - fresh

.5 part Cranberry Juice (not cranberry cocktail)  

       Serve with flamed orange peel! 

Appetizer: Chilled Shrimp drizzled with fresh lime juice 

Music: RENDEZ-VOUS by Sadao Watanabe