Mirin, Recipes

Explaining “Otoso,” & a Mirin Chai Recipe

Maho Tanabe

December 28, 2022

Last October, American food professionals visited fermented food producers to deepen their knowledge of Japanese fermentation culture during the “Hakko Tourism in Japan” tour campaign. As part of the tour, organizers held a tasting session where guests gave candid advice from the perspective of the American market to food product manufacturers looking to enter the United States market.

There are only a few days left in the year, and surely many Japanese households are stocking up on hon mirin to prepare traditional New Year’s feasts. Mirin plays a substantial role in many of the dishes served during a Japanese New Year’s celebration, and it’s also specifically a part of the “otoso” tradition.

Otoso – A wish for good health and fortune for the coming year

Pamphlets of otoso made from Mikawa mirin

Otoso is an alcohol elixir made from various herbs and spices and is imbibed to help usher in good health and fortune for the year to come. The medicinal herbs and other components in the beverage include:

Chinpi, which is said to improve blood circulation

Keihi (cinnamon), which is said to encourage perspiration, may have antifebrile properties, and helps regulate the gut biome

Kikyo (Chinese bellflower), an expectorant, sedative and painkiller in Chinese medicine

Hakkaku (Chinese bellflower), an herbal medicinal spice known for antibacterial and stomach health benefits

Bai Zhu, a plant whose roots are consumed in Chinese medicine

Siler plant, a root known for encouraging perspiration, its antipyretic properties, and anti-inflammatory effects

There are multiple theories on the origin of the word “otoso,” but it carries the meaning of “eliminating the bad and inviting in the good.” During the Japanese New Year’s holiday, otoso is prepared on New Year’s Eve to ensure good health and safety, and is imbibed on New Year’s morning after the New Year’s greetings are made with the family and before the New Year’s festive dishes such as ozoni are served. Dishes are served to family members from the youngest to the oldest. Otoso, similarly, is first imbibed by the youngest (drinking age) members of the family, up to the oldest.

Osechi (shrimp, datemaki, namasu, kuromame and duck meet) and sekihan on a table with glasses of otoso
According to one theory, the custom of drinking otoso during the New Year’s holiday originated in the Heian period (794-1185), and was first introduced by Heian aristocrats.
A bowl of zouni, namasu on a white plate, kuromame on a blue plate, a bottle of mirin and a bottle of otoso
A bottle of mirin, a bottle of otoso and a glass of otoso
In some regions, otoso is a combination of sake or mirin and otoso spice, while in others, celebrants simply drink sake as is. In other cases, the otoso is soaked in local sake, making an elixir wholly unique to the region. Otoso made with mirin is actually very easy to concoct; just soak the otoso spice mixture in 300ml of mirin for five to eight hours. Sipping the resulting beverage, with its potent but pleasing aroma, one can imagine the drink beckoning good luck and health for the future. Because of its ceremonial nature, in many cases, a lot of the otoso is leftover from the New Year’s holiday. For some, it’s become a tradition to make a kind of chai from the leftovers to be enjoyed later. The spices used for chai are included in the herbal medicine used for otoso, so, with its use of sweet mirin, otoso makes for a great starting point for a unique chai-style drink. Mirin, or mirin syrup, can be used on its own to create this beverage, too.

Otoso mirin chai

A cup of otoso mirin chai
Serving: 1

Ingredients

  • 150g water
  • 2 to 3 slices of ginger
  • 1/2 cinnamon stick
  • 3 tablespoons mirin or mirin syrup
  • 2 tea bags of black tea
  • 150 ml milk, whole or non-fat
  • Cinnamon powder to taste
  • If making with mirin or mirin syrup: 2 to 3 cardamom grains plus 2 to 3 cloves

Directions

1. Put water, ginger, cinnamon stick, otoso and spices of your choice in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat.
2. When it comes to a boil, add the tea packets, lower the heat to low and let it simmer for two to three minutes.

3. Add milk and turn off the heat just before the ingredients reach a boil again.

4. Pour the tea through a tea strainer into a cup and sprinkle cinnamon powder on top as desired.
Pour the tea through a tea strainer into a cup and sprinkle cinnamon powder on top as desired. This is a no-added-sugar drink that will make your body warm and, so it’s said, help to ward off evil and bad luck. Cheers to a happy New Year!
Picture of Maho Tanabe
Maho Tanabe
Minamoto Shokudo | + posts

Maho Tanabe, the organizer of "Mirin Sweets and Fermented Foods" at Minamoto Shokudo, is an inner beauty planner and owner of Minamoto cafeteria. With expertise in fermented foods using koji and sake, she is a recognized authority in the fermented foods industry.