In celebration of Lunar New Year across Southeast Asia and in North America—particularly in cities with longstanding Asian communities such as San Francisco, Vancouver, and on Vancouver Island.

The first new moon of the lunisolar calendar marks the start of the New Year for billions of people around the world. Each country and ethnic group has its own set of traditions, centred largely on honouring ancestors, reuniting with family, sharing meals, and wishing one another luck and prosperity in the year ahead, while celebrating the arrival of spring.

In China, lantern festivals and dragon and lion dances are held to ward off evil spirits. In Vietnam, homes are decorated with yellow apricot blossoms, and family gatherings take centre stage. In South Korea, a traditional rice cake soup called tteokguk is eaten to symbolize growing older and embracing a fresh start.

Wherever Lunar New Year is celebrated, a few traditions remain consistent:

• Red is lucky: Decorations, clothing, and envelopes are predominantly red to attract luck, joy, and prosperity.
• New beginnings: Cleaning before the New Year sweeps away bad luck, while avoiding cleaning on the first day prevents good fortune from being “swept away.”
• Family unity: The reunion dinner is central to the celebration, strengthening family bonds and honouring togetherness.

We thought this would be the perfect time to highlight some of the distinctive spirits available at Greenrock — exploring what they share and what makes each one unique. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be celebrating these spirits with a closer look at the styles we have on hand and featuring a selection of cocktails that showcase them at their best.

Many of these spirits are rice-based, while others are made from grains; depending on the region, some may also be distilled from palm, taro, or coconut. Most of the varieties we carry at Greenrock Liquor are rice-based, and the way the rice processed, is it fermented or distilled or pasteurized ultimately shapes the flavour profile of each spirit.

Below are a few of the styles currently on our shelves — and over the coming days, we’ll be taking a closer look at each of them.

Japanese Rice-Based Drinks

• Sake (Nihonshu): A Japanese fermented rice beverage with an ABV typically between 13% and 17%. It is brewed more like a beer than a wine.
• Junmai: A specific category of sake made using only rice, water, yeast, and koji. Unlike other sakes, no distilled brewer’s alcohol is added, resulting in a fuller body and richer umami flavour.
• Nama-nama (Namazake): This refers to unpasteurized sake. While most sake is pasteurized twice for stability, nama sake is fresh and must be kept refrigerated to maintain its lively, often "zingy" profile.
• Mirin: Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine used primarily in cooking. It has a lower alcohol content (around 14%) and higher sugar content than sake.

If you want to know more about sake read: "What is Sake Anyway"

Korean Distilled & Fermented Drinks

• Soju: A clear, distilled spirit traditionally made from rice but often produced from sweet potatoes or tapioca. It typically has an ABV of 16% to 25%.
• Chamisul: The best-selling brand of soju produced by HiteJinro. It is known for being filtered through bamboo charcoal for a clean taste.
• Chum Churum: A major competitor to Chamisul, Chum Churum (by Lotte) is known for using alkaline water, which makes it taste smoother and slightly softer.
• Makgeolli: A milky, unfiltered Korean rice wine. It is fermented (not distilled) and has a lower ABV (around 6–8%), with a sweet, tangy, and slightly fizzy profile. 

If you want to know more about soju and makgeolli read "Soju—A National Tradition"

Fruit-Based Liqueurs

• Momoshu: A Japanese liqueur made by macerating white peaches (momo) in alcohol, often sake or shochu. It is sweet, thick, and has a lower ABV (around 8%). It is the peach equivalent of the more common Umeshu (plum wine)

Chinese Grain-Based Spirit

• Baijiu is a traditional, high-alcohol (35–60% ABV) Chinese spirit distilled primarily from sorghum, rice, wheat, or millet. It is the world's most consumed liquor by volume, featuring distinct, complex aromas—ranging from savory "sauce" to floral "light"—and is often served neat at meals to signify prestige.

We could all use some good luck, creativity, passion and courage in the upcoming year so with that in mind lets take a jump into the year of the Fire Horse with a simple sake martini.

If you want to know more about sake read: "What is Sake Anyway"

Xīnkǒu chángkāi (笑口常开): May you always have a smile on your face.