Where can I buy chuhai?

Question

I had alcoholic drink in Japan that was dark pink, fruity, and sweet with no or little carbonation. The percentage of alcohol in the drink was low. I did some research and figured out that it might have been chuhai. I didn't see any chuhai duirng my last couple of visits to Japanese markets.

Answer 1

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Chuhai is a class of alcholohic beverages made with shochu (similar to vodka) and mixers, so there are various brands and flavors (mostly fruit). Takara, Suntory, Kirin, and Asahi all make varieties; many are named Chuhai or Chu hi, but there are others such as Hiliki. Due to the fruit flavors, the packaging will often look like soda, so next time you're at a Japanese market, ask a clerk or look around the beer section and see what other alcoholic drinks may be lurking.

If you're in the bay area, some locations that might carry it:
- Nijiya in Mountain View
- Suruki in San Mateo
- various shops in Japantown in San Francisco should also carry some.
Sorry I can't confirm any in particular.

Oh, my translator brother adds the following fact: The "chu" in chuhai comes from "shochu"; the "hai" is for "high ball".

Source(s):

http://koukeisha.net/chu-fanlisting/
http://www.nijiya.com/
http://local.yahoo.com/details?fr=dd-loc…
http://local.yahoo.com/details;_ylt=AsH2…