character as "bubble, foam" (, awa) rather than the character for millet (, awa). Millet was a raw material used to make awamori at the time that the word was first used. Another hypothesis is that the name comes from a method that was used in the past for assessing the quality of distilled liquors. This method was to slowly pour the liquor from a small bowl held in one hand into an empty bowl held in the other hand about one foot below. The desired result was for a large number of small to in the lower bowl as the liquor is poured into it. Longer-lasting bubbles were also seen as desirable. See also Habushu List of rice beverages Notes References Okinawa Prefectural Government, "Awamori", Okinawa: Cultural Promotion Division, Okinawa Tourism and Cultural Affairs Bureau, 1996. External links What is Awamori? RYUKYU1429 Awamori Rice drinks Japanese distilled drinks Okinawan cuisine Japanese drinks