Habu liqueur, awamori flavoured with snakes and herbs

is an ''

awamori ''Awamori'' (, Okinawan: , āmui'') is an alcoholic beverage indigenous and unique to Okinawa, Japan. It is made from long grain indica rice, and is not a direct product of brewing (like ''sake'') but of distillation (like ''shōchū''). The ...

''-based liqueur made in

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, Japan. Other common names include Habu Sake or Okinawan Snake Wine. Habushu is named after the habu snake, ''

Trimeresurus flavoviridis ''Protobothrops flavoviridis'' is a species of venomous pit viper endemic to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. No subspecies are currently recognized. Local common names include habu,Gumprecht A, Tillack F, , Captain A, Ryabov S. 2004. ''Asian Pitvip ...

'', which belongs to the pit viper family and is closely related to the rattlesnake and

copperhead Copperhead may refer to: Snakes * ''Agkistrodon contortrix'', or copperhead, a venomous pit viper species found in parts of North America * '' Austrelaps'', or Australian copperhead, a genus of venomous elapids found in southern Australia and Ta ...

. Habu snakes are venomous and native to areas in Southeast Asia and other large island groups including the Philippines, Ryukyus, and Japan. A bite from a habu snake can cause nausea, vomiting, hypotension, and possibly death. There have been cases where victims report the loss of motor function in hands and legs following treatment.

Production

A main distributor of habushu uses around 5,000 habu per year. The distillery uses crushed rice and Koji mold to produce the awamori that goes into the habushu. The ''awamori'' is first mixed with herbs and honey giving the clear liquid a yellow hue. A pit viper is then inserted into the liquid and stored until consumed. It is a typical practice to age the awamori for a long period of time. The alcohol helps the venom to dissolve and become non poisonous. Some brands of ''habushu'' come with the snake still inside the bottle which is mixed with honey and herbs. There are two methods of inserting the snake into the alcohol. The maker may choose to simply submerge the snake in the alcohol and seal the bottle, thus drowning the snake. Alternatively, the snake may be put on ice until it passes out, at which point it is gutted, bled and sewn up. When the viper is thawed and awakens, it will quickly die in an aggressive striking manner, which is what most producers look for. The manufacturer will then put the habu in an ethanol bath for a month to preserve it. To continue the process, the habu is put in a 59% alcohol mix for 40 days and finally put in a 35%

mix to prepare for consumption . Removing the intestines of the snake, as in the second method, is thought to decrease the drink's particularly unpleasant smell. A habu snake is able to mate for as long as 26 hours, which causes some to believe that a drink of habushu may help sexual dysfunction in men. A common superstition is that these strengths are passed on to those who drink habushu.

References

{{Japanese food and drink Japanese liqueurs Japanese drinks Cruelty to animals

Production

See also

References