Beverage
Hon Mirin
S tier
Hon mirin is the fermented sweet rice wine: glutinous rice, koji, and shochu, aged until the alcohol is around fourteen percent and the sweetness is the wine's own. It gives teriyaki and nimono both gloss and a round rice depth that syrup cannot fake. The colour is pale gold; the smell is gentle rice and alcohol, not glucose. This is the mirin to write into a serious Japanese sauce. It costs more than aji-mirin and is worth it when the glaze is the dish. Alcohol will burn off if you cook it; the sugar will not, so do not dump it like honey.
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History
Fermented mirin became a kitchen wine for sweetness and shine on grilled and simmered food.
Hon mirin was bottled as the true article beside emerging syrup substitutes.
Export hon mirin reached Japanese restaurants that refused aji-mirin in the glaze.
Home cooks began seeking hon mirin after years of supermarket aji-mirin defaults.