Mixing questions
How to pour shochu, answered from what the producers publish. Each answer links to the page it came from. Where two producers give different numbers, both are here.
What is the ratio for a shochu highball?
The iichiko site gives 30ml of iichiko 25 to 90ml of strong soda water, which is one to three. Chill the shochu, the soda and the glass first, fill the glass with large ice, pour the soda gently so it does not hit the ice, and stir once, slowly, up and down. They finish it with a teaspoon of iichiko dripped on top. For their 20 percent bottle they suggest one to two.
Source: iichiko
How do you make shochu with hot water?
The producers do not agree on one ratio. Kirishima Shuzo's serve for Kirishima Hororu is three parts hot water to two of shochu, with three to five slices of ginger. The iichiko site's kombu tea serve puts in more shochu than water, six parts to four. For its umeboshi serve, iichiko pours the shochu into hot water already in the glass at 85 to 90°C and lets the difference in temperature mix the two, rather than stirring.
Source: Kirishima Shuzo, iichiko
What is kappa-wari?
Shochu with cucumber. The iichiko site's version: fill a glass with ice, pour iichiko 25 and then well-chilled water, one to one, stir, and add shredded or sliced cucumber. With soda water instead of still, they suggest one part shochu to three.
Source: iichiko
What is Hoppy, and how is it poured?
Hoppy is a 0.8 percent mixer first produced in 1948 in Akasaka, Tokyo, and its maker describes it as traditionally paired with shochu. Chill the Hoppy, the shochu and the mug first, a frozen mug if you can, and leave out the ice, because ice waters the drink down and flattens the carbonation. The maker gives pour lines for some of its own versions but no single ratio for plain Hoppy.
Source: Hoppy Beverage
How much ginger ale goes with shochu?
The producer ratio we have is Kirishima Shuzo's, for Kirishima Hororu: one part shochu to two of ginger ale over ice, stirred gently, with a lime wheel.
Source: Kirishima Shuzo
Can you mix shochu with coffee?
Kirishima Shuzo lists one for Kirishima Hororu: one part shochu to three of iced coffee, over ice, stirred well.
Source: Kirishima Shuzo
For what shochu is, how honkaku and korui differ and what the koji colour on a label means, see What is shochu.