Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2014

The Marronnier Chinese Restaurant at The Tokyo Prince Hotel transforms into a shochu school from 6:30-8:30pm, the fourth Friday of every month. The ¥7,000 entry fee gets you tastings of several varieties of honkaku (single distillation) shochu from top makers in Kagoshima. Many of the makers themselves will be on hand to teach ways of drinking, such as with the kurojaka heating pot or mixed into delicious cocktails, as well as standard intros on each kura. Drinks are paired with Chinese cuisine made with seasonal ingredients straight from Kyushu’s Kagoshima Oidon Ichiba Market, making for a good opportunity to hone your shochu skills over a meal. As a bonus, diners are entered into a draw to bring home a souvenir. The next events are March 28 and April 25. Reservations are recommended.

3-3-1 Shiba-koen, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-3432-1142