Kai Lemongrass Ginger Shochu/Soju, made by Hawaii-based Kai Vodka LLC, is turning heads in the spirit world — not that ojiisan, obaasan or halapoji or halmoni (Korean for grandfather and grandmother) are necessarily imbibing "over there."
Tasting Panel, a beverage industry magazine, recently wrote up the Lemongrass Ginger version of Kai, referred to in the industry as an "expression."
Kai makes six so-called expressions — two shochu/sojus and four vodkas.
"Shochu" is the Japanese word for a traditional Asian distilled spirit, while "soju" is the Korean word for it. By whichever name one calls it, it is the second-fastest-growing spirits category, after vodka, according to Liquor.com, and Amy Bender, Kai Spirits director of sales.
She, by the way, is pictured along with the write-up that also features a picture of a cocktail called "Kai Kiss," which uses the Lemongrass Ginger spirit. It also includes the recipe created by Wade Sooy of Morimoto Waikiki.
This column, not being in the food section, normally does not contain recipes, but for those 21 and older reading the print edition, the beverage calls for 1 1/2 ounces of Kai Lemongrass Ginger Shochu/Soju, 1/4 ounce of lime sour (which is two parts lime juice, 1 part simple syrup), 3/4 ounce of white grapefruit juice and 1/2 ounce of guava liqueur.
Shake it all vigorously with ice and strain. The Morimoto recipe calls for adding an edible orchid as a garnish.
(Oh, if you’re under 21 you should not have read that recipe.)
The magazine’s tasters had some nice things to say.
"This conjures up sitting on a beach in Hawaii — any time of year! The drink is fruity, but with a nice finish. The ginger finishes nicely on the palate," said Lynn House, while Anne Marineau said "the presentation was exotic and so was the flavor profile; the guava played well off the natural lemongrass."
White grapefruit juice is available at supermarkets, Bender said.
Here’s the catch to trying to mix this up at home. Guava liqueur, so far, is available only to on-premise accounts, according to a spokeswoman at Southern Wines and Spirits. What that means is, you can order a beverage containing guava liqueur when you’re out on the town, but you’re not going to find it in a retail store.
Among the company’s numerous beverage industry awards, Kai Lemongrass Ginger Shochu/Soju won a Double Gold medal at the 2011 World Spirits Competition.
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com, or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
