EN Shochu Bar: Sake may well be New York's favorite Japanese potent potable, lending itself to endless East-meets-West black-outs. This reign, however, may be at an end. Witness EN Japanese Brasserie's recent transformation of its sake annex into EN Shochu Bar. Shochu, a distilled rice-y moonshine, might not be on everyone's tongue yet, but EN is changing that--one flight at a time. The bartenders will encourage you to sip it, mix it, and infuse it, but never shoot it. Fermented from everything from buckwheat to sweet potato, these drinks should be savored, not slammed. The same black-lacquer, rice-paper elegance of the restaurant carries over to the bar, which, though less harrowingly architectural, still attracts a well-heeled crowd. |
