Cocktail Bar · Fushimi, Kyoto
TaKaRa CHU-HI
The original canned shochu highball, bright with lemon, from a Kyoto sake house.
- Founded
- 1842
- Founded by
- Yomo family
- Based in
- Fushimi, Kyoto
Making it since
1842
Their story
TaKaRa CHU is the canned chu-hi from Takara Shuzo, a drinks company whose roots go back to 1842 in Fushimi, the Kyoto district long known for its brewing water. The business grew out of the Yomo family's operation and was incorporated as Takara Shuzo in 1925.
Takara has a strong Bay Area connection. Its American arm, Takara Sake USA, opened in Berkeley in 1983 and went on to make the first American-made junmai, nigori and ginjo sakes, becoming the largest sake producer in the country.
The chu-hi is the company's everyday side: a light, fizzy highball built for drinking cold, straight from the can, the way it is enjoyed across Japan.
How it's made
Chu-hi takes its name from shochu highball. Takara pairs its shochu base with sparkling water and citrus for a crisp, tart drink. The lemon version comes in 12 oz cans at 5.5% ABV and leans sour, with just enough sweetness to round out the acidity.
Why we carry them
We like having a few of these in the fridge for warm afternoons. It is a clean, lemony highball that tastes like a Tokyo convenience store run in the best way.
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