At the San Antonio New World Wine & Food Festival last month, I ate lunch at Oro in the Emily Morgan Hotel, which is just across the street from the Alamo. We were sitting around chatting about up-and-coming food and drink trends when our hostess, Jeanne, asked, "Have you tried Shochu yet?" We hadn't, so she promptly ordered up a couple of small glasses for us to sip.

Shochu is a clear spirit made by distilling barley, rice, sweet potatoes, black sugar, or even more exotic ingredients like milk or pumpkin. It's served diluted with water, with fruit juice, or on the rocks, and typically has about 25 percent alcohol, making it stronger than sake but weaker than some spirits.

Oro has hosted several special events to introduce Shochu to the San Antonio area, where it's a new item. While Shochu has been a staple in Japan for centuries and has outsold Sake there since 2004, it's just beginning to make its way into the States. You can probably find it easily on the west and east coasts, but it will be harder to track down in middle America.

If you can't find it at your local wine and spirits store, ask if they'll order it. For one thing, it's fun and easy to mix into cocktails, like the recipes after the jump. For another, it's what our hostess calls "sake light"--a 2-ounce serving of Shochu only has about 35 calories, compared to 80 calories for a 2-ounce serving of Sake and 120 calories for the same amount of vodka.

After the jump, some Shochu cocktail recipes.

Shochu Margarita
2 ounces Shochu
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice

Mix and pour into a salt-rimmed margarita glass. Garnish with lime wedge.

Shochu Strawberry Margarita
1 1/2 ounces Shochu
1/2 ounce strawberry liqueur
1 1/2 teaspoons Cointreau
1 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice

Mix all in blender with ice. Pour into a salt-rimmed margarita glass and garnish with a fresh strawberry.

Shochu Gimlet
2 ounces Shochu
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

Mix together and garnish with a lime wedge.

Recipes courtesy of Oro Restaurant.