Hoppy: how to order and drink Tokyo's retro beer-style drink

In the older neighbourhoods of Tokyo, you’ll see people pouring a small brown bottle into a mug of clear liquid. That’s Hoppy (ホッピー) — a beer-flavoured drink you mix yourself with shōchū. It’s cheap, light, and one of the most fun things to order at a classic izakaya.

Photo coming soonA Hoppy set: a bottle of Hoppy next to a mug with shochu

What Hoppy is

Hoppy was first made in Tokyo in 1948, as an affordable stand-in for beer, which was expensive after the war. On its own it’s almost non-alcoholic — about 0.8% alcohol — and tastes like a light, malty beer.

You don’t drink it on its own. You mix it with kō-rui shōchū, a clear, neutral spirit, to make a beer-like drink at whatever strength you like.

Soto and naka: how ordering works

Izakaya regulars use two words: soto (“outside”) for the bottle and naka (“inside”) for the shōchū.

1. First, order a “Hoppy set” (ホッピーセット): you get a bottle of Hoppy and a mug with shōchū already in it.
2. Pour some Hoppy in. One bottle is usually enough for two or three mugs.
3. Mug empty but Hoppy left? Order “naka” (中) — just a refill of shōchū.
4. Bottle empty but shōchū left? Order “soto” (外) — just a new bottle.

Pace yourself. At some downtown places, the “naka” pour is generous — the drink can end up much stronger than a beer.

White or black?

• White (白 shiro, or just “Hoppy”) — the original: light and crisp.
• Black (黒 kuro) — darker and a little sweeter, like a dark beer.

Order 黒ホッピー kuro hoppii for black.

How to pour it

The maker recommends a ratio of about 1 part shōchū to 5 parts Hoppy, which makes a drink of around 5% — like a beer. The classic style is sanrei (三冷, “three cold”):

• the mug, the shōchū and the Hoppy are all chilled
• no ice, so it stays fizzy and doesn’t get watered down
• pour the Hoppy in fairly briskly, without stirring — the pour mixes it and gives you a head of foam

Plenty of places serve it with ice anyway. Both are fine.

Photo coming soonPouring Hoppy into a mug of shochu to make a foamy head

Why people love it

• It’s cheap. Refilling “naka” costs less than another beer.
• You control the strength. More Hoppy, lighter drink.
• It’s light. Hoppy itself has about a quarter of the calories of beer and no purines, which is why it’s popular with older drinkers.
• It’s Tokyo. You’ll find it at old taishū sakaba (people’s taverns), yakiton shops and standing bars — much less so outside the Tokyo area.

Say it

New to izakaya? Start here: How an izakaya works.