They never said doing Ironman was easy and when you’re racing one practically every month like I am, it’s important not only to celebrate the ups and downs but to make sure you rehydrate and replenish your electrolytes after this all-day endurance affair!

Last weekend I competed at Ironman Coeur d’Alene in Idaho, taking 12th in the professional women’s category. It wasn’t my best performance but I am still learning quite a bit as a rookie pro, and am always proud of every finish. Here I am during the best part of the race, finishing the very last stretch of the 140.6 miles:

Wongstar finishes IM CDA, heading straight for a recovery drink!

Best of all, after the race, was figuring out the perfect recipe for a tasty recovery drink using Haamonii, the #1 choice of triathlon superstars! It’s almost like an ICEE or Slurpee, only better for you… in so many ways.

Wongstar’s Haamonii Strawberry Lemonade Recovery Slushy

Ingredients:
5 large fresh California strawberries
2 cups of ice
1 tablespoon lemon-lime Gatorade powder
4 ounces Haamonii Smooth Lemon

Directions:
Cut the stems off the strawberries and throw them (the strawberries, not the stems!) in the blender along with everything else. Blend until smooth, pour and serve! Remember to pour for others and not self

Nutrition:
makes 2 x 12oz servings (75 calories each)
or 3 x 8oz servings (50 calories each)

or a nice large 24oz serving that is still only 150 calories!

I must admit this encouraged me to rehydrate myself much more than I usually would. Next on the schedule will be Ironman Lake Placid in New York on July 25th. You can see my full schedule here. Thanks for your support and remember to enjoy your Haamonii responsibly and share it with friends!

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INGREDIENTS:

Serves 5 (Makes 5 cups)

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 pounds rhubarb (about 8 stalks), cleaned, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup shochu (vodka-like Japanese liquor)
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring sugar and the water to a boil in large pan over medium heat; cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce heat to low; add rhubarb. Cook until syrup is light pink and rhubarb is tender, about 5 minutes. Strain; refrigerate until ready to use, up to 5 days.
2. Just before serving, combine syrup, shochu, and lime juice in a 2-quart pitcher, and refrigerate.
3. To serve, shake mixture in batches in a cocktail shaker filled with ice; pour into chilled rocks glasses.

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During a past tasting, Elle had mentioned these mulberries and how they would be amazing with Haamonii (harmony) Shochu. She was absolutely right! Just a simple muddle of fresh mulberries, ice, and Haamonii was like sipping a summer day.

You must try this and can get mulberries from a local micro-farmer named Kevin Lynch who can be found at the Palo Alto Farmers Market or can email Kevin at metromulberries@gmail.com.

Thank you again Elle for the introductions and the match made in harmony!

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Recipe and photograph by Brooke Burton

Salted plum shochu cocktail
Makes one drink

Kosher salt and cayenne pepper mixture (4 tbsp kosher salt to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper)
2 lemon verbena leaves (one for muddling, one for garnish)
4 small sour plums (sliced and without seeds)
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 lemon wedge
1 tsp simple syrup
3 oz lemon (or regular) Haamonii Shochu
ice

Place the kosher salt/cayenne pepper mixture on a plate. Wipe the outer edge of the cocktail glass with the juicy side of the lemon wedge. Run the wet edge of the glass in the spicy salt to create an even rim.

Muddle a single verbena leaf in a clean cocktail shaker. Add the sliced sour plums and continue muddling until most of the fruit’s juice is released into the glass. Add simple syrup, shochu and fill shaker with ice. Shake well. Add mixed cocktail to salt-rimmed glass. Top with fresh verbena. Serve immediately.

Read the full article here on FoodWoolf or by clicking on the image below:

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We see this delicious variation in Los Angeles, where shochu is served with infused ginsing.

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We’re always asked what are some good shochu (soju) recipes and would like to begin what we hope to be the ultimate list of shochu and soju recipes from the web.

Our goal of this page is to note shochu (soju) recipes where ever we can find them or with ones that people have created.

No matter what shochu (soju) you enjoy, share it with someone. Find haamonii (Japanese for harmony) in sharing. And remember to pour for others and not self.

photo by: Marcus Nilsson

Recipes below:

Aloe Vera Cocktail – by www.everydaydrinkers.tv. using Haamonii (video)

Apple Shochu (soju) Cocktail

Arare (rice cracker) Cream Shochu

Cosmopolitan - by www.everydaydrinkers.tv. using Haamonii (video)

Dreamsicle Martini – by www.everydaydrinkers.tv. using Haamonii (video)

Far East

Grapefruit Shochu Cocktail

Green Tea Shochu Martini – video

Haamonii Lemon Lemonade

Haamonii Lime Chu-Hai

Haamonii Shochu – Salted Plum Haamonii Shochu Cocktail by Brooke Burton of FoodWoolf

Juanita Twilight by Deba Wegner

Lights Out Kim Jong-il Cocktail

Lime Chu-Hai

Meloncoli Cocktail – by www.everydaydrinkers.tv. using Haamonii (video)

Sazanami

Shochu Gimlet

Shochu Litchi Fizz

Shochu Margarita

Shochu Martini

Shochu Melon Citrus Cocktail

Shochu Sour

Shochu Strawberry Margarita

Shochu Sweet and Sour

Shochutini

Sour Shochu Shot

Tantric Kiss – by www.everydaydrinkers.tv. using ice wine with Haamonii (video)

Yogurt Soju Cocktail

Yogurt Soju Cocktail (2)

Yuki Gesho (winter shochu martini)

More to come… We welcome posts to any links that you have to shochu (soju) recipes in the comments below as well.

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There is an especially good brand of oolong tea that we really like from Japan and can be found at Oyaji izakaya in San Francisco, CA. This particular oolong tea is distributed by JFC international who can give you the specific locations found.

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Haamonii Lemon Mangotini

Haamonii Smooth Ginger

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Most recently, Chicago has been the focus of attention with a brand new pan-asian restaurant actually named Shochu!

Here is a recent article from Stacy Warden. Stacy writes:

When Japan tired of sake, it turned to another indigenous liquor: shochu. This Japanese vodka-like liquor, usually made with grains or root vegetables, packs a ton of natural flavor into each bottle. Aside from its earthy essence, shochu shares several of its best features with wine, like the growing number of varieties available and the way it’s often enjoyed with meals (not to mention its heart-healthy benefits). But if wine echoes sophistication, shochu signifies rebellion; it kicks the pretension of proper pairings straight to the curb.

In addition, Stacy highlights some tasty examples of shochu cocktails in the area including:

• Calpico and shochu – traditional yogurt based carbonated beverage with shochu
• Koji tini – shochu, ginger and white grapefruit juice
• Yofune Nushi – shochu, blood orange, coconut milk and soda.

As we like to do, remember to pour for others and not self.

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What’s in the fridge:

Haamonii Smooth…ALWAYS…Bottled Water? NOPE…Milk? NOPE…Blood Orange Italian Soda…DING, DING, DING!!

Quick drink, but very tasty:

Ingredients:

• 1 oz of Haamonii Smooth Lemon Shochu
• Blood Orange Italian Soda

Fill collins glass half way with ice. Pour Haamonii Smooth Lemon Shochu over ice and fill glass with Blood Orange Italian Soda. Enjoy!!

Browsed for some new recipes and found some that sound pretty tastey:

Courtesy of The Kitten Lounge

Tamari Tofutini

Ingredients:
- 3 oz Haamonii Smooth Pure Shochu
- A few drops of San-J Tamari
- 2 cubes of Tamari marinated tofu

Fill a martini shaker about 3/4 full of ice; pour shochu and a few drops of Tamari into shaker and shake. Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass and add toothpick with 2 cubes of tofu soaked in San-J Tamari for extra taste.

Ippei Apple

• 1.5 oz Haamonii Smooth Pure Shochu
• 1.5 oz triple sec
• 1.5 oz sour apple pucker
• Splash of Sprite

Shake ingredients together in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass.

Or try this one on…

Speed Racer (from the Blowfish Sushi cocktail menu)

Ingredients:

• Haamonii Smooth Pure Shochu
• Red Bull
• Cranberry Juice

Serve on the rocks in collins glass.

I’ll have to try one of these next time. Until then, I’ll let you mix it up. Tell us what you think, or let us know how you enjoy Haamonii Smooth Shochu. Good night.

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