If You Like Whiskey, You'll Love Shochu

Shochu is showing up in fine Asian restaurants, in cocktails at trendy bars, and it's even beginning to make an appearance on liquor store shelves.

This Asian spirit -- shochu in Japan, soju in Korea -- has long been popular throughout Asia, and the past decade has seen shochu burst onto the global scene.

New York's En Japanese Brasserie has an entire bar devoted to it. Last month, Matsuhisa in Aspen launched a comprehensive shochu list.

Shochu's got all the marks of an international drink trend that will turn into a beverage-menu mainstay, much as sake did before it, so it's time to get to know what this spirit is all about. ...