Habushu, or Okinawan Snake Wine, is an indigenous liqueur made in Okinawa, Japan, that has the noted inclusion of a snake being inserted into the liqueur bottle.
Appreciated since ancient times, habushu is believed by some to have medicinal properties due to a habu snake being able to go without eating anything for as long as a year and still have immense energy. It is thought that this strength will get passed on to those who drink habushu.
Another trait that is thought to be passed on through the drink is the habu snake's ability to mate for as long as 26 hours at a time. It is thought that a drink of habushu may help sexual dysfunction in men or can simply act as an aphrodisiac.
Trivia
- Habushu is aptly named after the habu snake which belongs to the Pit viper family and is closely related to the American rattler or copperheads. Habu snakes are venomous and native to areas in the Southeast Asian Region and other large island groups including the Philippines, Ryukyus, and Japan.
- A main distributor of habushu uses around 5,000 habu snakes per year and is a very popular item amongst Americans in the military stationed in Japan.