The Okinawa drink is Awamori. It is distilled from long grain Thai rice that has contracted the unique local black koji mold. You drink it cold with ice or to disguise the taste you can mix it with fruit juice or er coke or er Irn Bru http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt_rU-Sh15g if you can find it.

Hai!! Zanpa!

Anyway just down the road from my partment is an Awamori distillery churning out gallons of the famous Zanpa brand.

Here are some tasting notes

“Clear with a platinum blue cast. Dried wildflower and honeyed wet grain aromas follow through to soft, silky entry leads to a lightly glycerous, dryish light-to-medium body of very subtle flavors and a hint of perfumed pear. Finishes with an almond oil and mineral water fade. Very lean, light and delicate.”  I would take that with a pinch of salt if I were you.

Anyway today I go visit.

Outside

Empties

European awards

Superior Awamori - distilled to honor the 50th year of the University of the Ryukyus

So after a quick sniff around I feel I should buy a bottle. However a bottle of Zanpa at the distillery is 850 yen. 500 meters away in the supermarket it costs 560 yen. I point this out to the sales ladies using elaborate mime and pig noises. They laugh and grin in classic Okinawan style. I end up buying a Tshirt.

I think this says "Drink Zanpa! Brewed in Okinawa from unexploded shells."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awamori