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Gotoretto Shuzo · Nagasaki · Mugi (barley)

  • honkaku

Pour this first

Jasmine tea, tall over ice. Grapefruit with it.

Jasmine tea on a floral bottle is a flower shop

One part shochu to three or four parts mixer, over plenty of ice. If it tastes thin, go two to three next time.

What it tastes like

Mugi shochu from Gotoretto Shuzo in Nagasaki. Published tasting notes: floral, soft. The profile below is built from the tasting notes published for it.

  • barley
  • floral
  • soft
Sweet
2/5
Body
1/5
Aroma
3/5
Fruit
0/5
Floral
1/5
Grain
4/5
Earth
1/5
Umami
0/5
Base
barley with rice koji using camellia flower natural yeast
ABV
23%

What to mix with it

Tap a family to narrow it down. Every suggestion carries its reasoning, so if the reasoning does not convince you, ignore the suggestion.

Explore all 89 pairings

  • Genmaicha

    Strong match

    Green tea with popped, toasted rice. Cold-brew it.

    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.
    • Two toasted grains
    • Green tea with popped, toasted rice. Cold-brew it.

  • Grapefruit

    Strong match

    Bitter, bright and forgiving. Ruby or white both work; white is drier. The grapefruit sour is a real bar order in Japan, not a novelty.

    • Barley shochu and grapefruit is the Kyushu sour after the lemon one
    • Its bitter peel gives floral bottles a spine
    • Bitter, bright and forgiving. Ruby or white both work; white is drier. The grapefruit sour is a real bar order in Japan, not a novelty.

  • Jasmine tea

    Strong match

    Cold-brewed. Floral without sugar. The jasmine highball is a real menu item in Japan.

    • Jasmine tea on a floral bottle is a flower shop
    • Jasmine-hai is on izakaya menus next to oolong-hai
    • Cold-brewed. Floral without sugar. The jasmine highball is a real menu item in Japan.

  • Tonic water

    Strong match

    A dry tonic (Fever-Tree, Q). One part spirit, three parts tonic, a citrus wedge.

    • The barley highball is the default shochu drink in Japan. Clean spirit, cold soda, nothing in the way.
    • Shochu tonic is the drink US bars pour most when they list shochu
    • Tonic's quinine lets floral bottles show

  • Oolong tea

    Strong match

    Unsweetened, cold. One part shochu to three or four parts tea, over ice.

    • Oolong-hai and green tea highballs are on every izakaya menu, and barley is clean enough to let the tea lead.
    • Oolong's tannin flattens delicate perfume
    • The bottle already smells of floral, and this puts more of it in the glass.
    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.

  • Chamomile

    Strong match

    Cold-brewed chamomile as a lengthener, or steeped in the spirit.

    • The bottle already smells of floral, and this puts more of it in the glass.
    • Gentle flower, gentle bottle
    • Chamomile softens barley shochu into an evening drink

  • Lemongrass

    Strong match

    Bruised stalks steeped in the spirit, or a syrup. Citrus without acid, which is useful when you want aroma but not sourness.

    • The bottle already smells of floral, and this puts more of it in the glass.
    • A clean barley spirit takes herbs the way vodka does, but with a cereal sweetness underneath that gives them something to sit on.
    • A US barley shochu is literally made with lemongrass; the pairing is proven

  • Thyme

    Strong match

    Gentler than rosemary. Steep a sprig, or use a thyme syrup.

    • The bottle already smells of floral, and this puts more of it in the glass.
    • A clean barley spirit takes herbs the way vodka does, but with a cereal sweetness underneath that gives them something to sit on.
    • Barley shochu and thyme is an unexpected, clean match

  • Black tea (Earl Grey)

    Strong match

    Cold-brewed Earl Grey brings bergamot; plain black tea brings tannin. For the aged and brown-sugar bottles.

    • The bottle already smells of floral, and this puts more of it in the glass.
    • Cold-brewed Earl Grey brings bergamot; plain black tea brings tannin. For the aged and brown-sugar bottles.

  • Hyuganatsu

    Strong match

    A Miyazaki citrus eaten with the white pith left on, which is sweet rather than bitter. Gentler and more floral than lemon, so it flavours a drink without taking it over.

    • The bottle already smells of floral, and this puts more of it in the glass.
    • A Miyazaki citrus eaten with the white pith left on, which is sweet rather than bitter. Gentler and more floral than lemon, so it flavours a drink without taking it over.

  • Blood orange

    Strong match

    Orange with a raspberry edge. Winter fruit; worth waiting for.

    • Its berry side flatters floral bottles
    • Orange with a raspberry edge. Winter fruit; worth waiting for.

  • Ginger ale

    Strong match

    The gentle ginger. For bottles that a ginger beer would bully.

    • The barley highball is the default shochu drink in Japan. Clean spirit, cold soda, nothing in the way.
    • Barley shochu and ginger ale is an izakaya highball

  • Green tea (sencha)

    Good match

    Cold-brewed sencha, unsweetened. The green tea highball is one of the most common ways shochu is actually drunk in Japan.

    • Oolong-hai and green tea highballs are on every izakaya menu, and barley is clean enough to let the tea lead.
    • Barley shochu and green tea is on every izakaya menu in Japan

  • Kabosu

    Good match

    Oita's citrus, softer than sudachi. Bartenders in Oita mix it with the local barley shochu and soda.

    • Kabosu and barley shochu are both Oita's and that is how Oita drinks them; the gentler acid suits a mugi wherever it was distilled
    • Oita's citrus, softer than sudachi. Bartenders in Oita mix it with the local barley shochu and soda.

  • Lemon

    Good match

    Fresh juice, never bottled. It is the whole basis of the lemon sour, and the quickest way to put acid into a spirit that has almost none of its own.

    • The lemon sour is the single most ordered shochu drink in Japan, and barley is what it is usually built on.
    • The lemon sour is Japan's most-ordered shochu drink for a reason

  • Lemon soda (ramune, Sanpellegrino)

    Good match

    The shortcut to a sour when there is no fresh lemon. Less sweet is better.

    • The barley highball is the default shochu drink in Japan. Clean spirit, cold soda, nothing in the way.
    • Lemon sour in one pour

  • Soda water

    Good match

    Cold, and fizzy enough to matter. One part shochu to three or four parts soda; if it tastes thin, go one to two next time.

    • The barley highball is the default shochu drink in Japan. Clean spirit, cold soda, nothing in the way.
    • The shochu highball: ice, shochu, cold soda, nothing else

  • Sparkling wine (brut)

    Good match

    Dry cava or crémant. Acid and bubbles in one pour, which is exactly what a distilled spirit has none of.

    • The barley highball is the default shochu drink in Japan. Clean spirit, cold soda, nothing in the way.
    • Bubbles carry floral notes to the nose

  • Sudachi

    Good match

    A small green citrus from Tokushima, sharper and more herbal than lime. Sold frozen or as juice in Japanese markets.

    • Sharper and greener than the lemon a barley sour usually gets, which is what makes it worth the trip from Tokushima
    • A small green citrus from Tokushima, sharper and more herbal than lime. Sold frozen or as juice in Japanese markets.

  • Yuzu

    Good match

    The Japanese citrus that tastes like grapefruit, mandarin and lemon at once, with a floral peel. A little zest or juice goes a long way.

    • Yuzu's perfume sits beside floral notes instead of covering them
    • The Japanese citrus that tastes like grapefruit, mandarin and lemon at once, with a floral peel. A little zest or juice goes a long way.

  • Maraschino

    Good match

    Luxardo. Dry rather than sweet despite the name, and a bar spoon changes a stirred drink completely.

    • The bottle already smells of floral, and this puts more of it in the glass.
    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.

  • Orgeat (almond syrup)

    Good match

    Almond syrup with a touch of orange blossom. The tiki sweetener, and kokuto shochu is a tiki spirit waiting to happen.

    • The bottle already smells of floral, and this puts more of it in the glass.
    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.

  • Dry vermouth

    Good match

    Dolin dry or Noilly Prat. A quarter of the shochu's volume, stirred cold.

    • The bottle already smells of floral, and this puts more of it in the glass.
    • Shochu and dry vermouth is a Japanese martini at half the proof

  • Makrut lime leaf

    Good match

    Torn leaves steeped briefly. Perfumed citrus without juice.

    • The bottle already smells of floral, and this puts more of it in the glass.
    • A clean barley spirit takes herbs the way vodka does, but with a cereal sweetness underneath that gives them something to sit on.

  • Peach liqueur

    Good match

    A good one (Giffard, Merlet). A shortcut to the bellini when peaches are out of season.

    • The bottle already smells of floral, and this puts more of it in the glass.
    • Barley shochu, peach liqueur, oolong: a Japanese izakaya order

  • Mugicha (barley tea)

    Good match

    Cold, unsweetened barley tea. Every Japanese fridge has a pitcher in summer. Mix one to three over ice.

    • Roasted tea covers perfume
    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.
    • Barley tea on barley shochu is the same grain, roasted, twice
    • Cold, unsweetened barley tea. Every Japanese fridge has a pitcher in summer. Mix one to three over ice.

  • Sobacha (roasted buckwheat tea)

    Good match

    Roasted buckwheat, in any Japanese grocery, hot or cold. In a soba restaurant the same serve is made with soba-yu, the starchy water the noodles were boiled in, which is thicker and cannot be bought.

    • Roast sits on top of a delicate floral bottle rather than beside it
    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.
    • Roasted buckwheat and roasted barley are one idea arrived at from two grains
    • Roasted buckwheat, in any Japanese grocery, hot or cold. In a soba restaurant the same serve is made with soba-yu, the starchy water the noodles were boiled in, which is thicker and cannot be bought.

  • Celery

    Good match

    Juiced, or a stalk as the stirrer. Savory, salty and cold.

    • Barley shochu and celery is an unlikely, real pair
    • Juiced, or a stalk as the stirrer. Savory, salty and cold.

  • Cucumber

    Good match

    Ribbons or muddled slices. Cucumber is what turns a serious glass into something you drink outside without thinking about it.

    • Cucumber and a clean barley highball is the most refreshing thing you can build out of this category.
    • Barley shochu, cucumber, soda: a highball that tastes like a cool room

  • Honey

    Good match

    Diluted one to one with warm water so it mixes cold. A little goes far; taste before adding more.

    • Honey and flowers are one thing
    • Honey and barley shochu in hot water is a Kyushu cold remedy

  • Muscat grape

    Good match

    Green muscat grapes, halved or juiced. Shine Muscat if you can find it.

    • Muscat is the most floral grape there is
    • Green muscat grapes, halved or juiced. Shine Muscat if you can find it.

  • Pear

    Good match

    Ripe pear, muddled or as nectar. Delicate, so it belongs with delicate bottles.

    • Barley's light sweetness reads as orchard fruit already, so apple and pear extend the bottle rather than decorate it.
    • Soft bottles and pear are quiet together, which is the point

  • Shiso

    Good match

    Green shiso leaves, slapped or muddled gently. Red shiso as a syrup. Japan already makes shiso shochu, which tells you it works.

    • A clean barley spirit takes herbs the way vodka does, but with a cereal sweetness underneath that gives them something to sit on.
    • Shiso and barley shochu is an izakaya sour

  • Cold water (mizuwari)

    Good match

    Soft water, cold, over ice or not. One to one is normal. Mix a day ahead (maewari) and the edges round off.

    • Barley has less to open up than sweet potato, so water shows you exactly what is there. That is a fair test and not always a flattering one: a thin mugi has nowhere to hide in it.
    • Six parts shochu to four parts water, the classic

  • White peach

    Good match

    The bellini fruit. Nectar from a Japanese market, or a ripe peach muddled through a strainer.

    • Peach and floral notes are one perfume
    • The bellini fruit. Nectar from a Japanese market, or a ripe peach muddled through a strainer.

  • Yuzu liqueur (yuzushu)

    Good match

    Sweet yuzu liqueur, usually on a sake or shochu base. A shortcut to yuzu when the fruit is out of season.

    • Yuzu perfume and floral notes
    • Barley shochu, yuzushu, soda: a yuzu sour without a yuzu

  • Hoppy (beer-taste mixer)

    Good match

    Hoppy Beverage Co. has made it in Tokyo since 1948; at 0.8 percent it is legally a soft drink, and it is hard to find outside Japan. Chill the bottle, the shochu and the mug and no ice is needed.

    • The barley highball is the default shochu drink in Japan. Clean spirit, cold soda, nothing in the way.

  • Kombucha

    Good match

    A plain or ginger kombucha. Acid, bubbles and a little funk, none of which survive a still.

    • The barley highball is the default shochu drink in Japan. Clean spirit, cold soda, nothing in the way.

  • Kumquat

    Good match

    Eaten whole, peel and all. Muddle a few in a glass; the peel gives bitterness, the flesh gives tartness.

    • Eaten whole, peel and all. Muddle a few in a glass; the peel gives bitterness, the flesh gives tartness.

  • Lime

    Good match

    Sharper and greener than lemon. The citrus for anything built on brown sugar or tropical fruit.

    • Sharper and greener than lemon. The citrus for anything built on brown sugar or tropical fruit.

  • Mikan (satsuma)

    Good match

    Sweet, low-acid Japanese mandarin. Juice it or drop segments in a glass. It needs a squeeze of something sharper alongside.

    • Sweet, low-acid Japanese mandarin. Juice it or drop segments in a glass. It needs a squeeze of something sharper alongside.

  • Orange

    Good match

    Fresh juice when you want it long and easy; the peel when the bottle is aged and the drink is stirred.

    • Fresh juice when you want it long and easy; the peel when the bottle is aged and the drink is stirred.

  • Pu-erh tea

    Good match

    Loose or bagged, brewed weak: at full strength it takes the glass over. Takara's own guide to tea-wari lists it alongside mugicha and sobacha.

    • Loose or bagged, brewed weak: at full strength it takes the glass over. Takara's own guide to tea-wari lists it alongside mugicha and sobacha.

  • Shikuwasa

    Good match

    Okinawa's own citrus, picked green and sharp, more bitter than lime and more floral than sudachi. Squeezed over awamori and soda it is what the islands actually drink.

    • Okinawa's own citrus, picked green and sharp, more bitter than lime and more floral than sudachi. Squeezed over awamori and soda it is what the islands actually drink.

  • Hibiscus

    Good match

    Cold-brewed hibiscus tea: sour, cranberry-red and floral. Acid and color in one pour.

    • The bottle already smells of floral, and this puts more of it in the glass.

  • Melon liqueur

    Good match

    Midori, or a drier Japanese one if you can find it. Half an ounce is plenty; this is a flavour, not a base.

    • The bottle already smells of floral, and this puts more of it in the glass.

  • Coffee (cold brew)

    Good match

    Cold brew, unsweetened. For barley, brown-sugar, cask-aged and awamori bottles; it will bury a daiginjo.

    • Coffee obliterates perfume
    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.
    • Cold brew, unsweetened. For barley, brown-sugar, cask-aged and awamori bottles; it will bury a daiginjo.

  • Hojicha

    Good match

    Cold-brewed or hot. Roasted green tea, low in bitterness, high in toast. The oyuwari of teas.

    • Roast covers delicate perfume
    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.
    • Cold-brewed or hot. Roasted green tea, low in bitterness, high in toast. The oyuwari of teas.

  • Pickled ginger (gari)

    Good match

    A spoon of the brine, and a slice as garnish. Sweet, sour and hot at once.

    • Barley shochu and gari brine is a bartender's shortcut to a ginger sour
    • A spoon of the brine, and a slice as garnish. Sweet, sour and hot at once.

  • Amaretto

    Worth trying

    A bar spoon, not an ounce. It is very sweet, and its job here is the almond smell rather than the sugar.

    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.

  • Coconut

    Worth trying

    Coconut water for lengthening, coconut milk or cream for weight.

    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.

  • Coffee liqueur

    Worth trying

    Mr Black or a good Japanese one. Awamori and shochu makers bottle their own, so this is not a foreign idea imposed on the spirit.

    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.

  • Falernum

    Worth trying

    John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum, about twenty dollars. At 11 percent it behaves like a syrup, so it sweetens and thickens without raising the drink.

    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.

  • Kuri (chestnut) liqueur

    Worth trying

    Zuiyo's Kuririn, from Japanese chestnuts at 11 percent, or Dover's wa-shu kuri, which is on a rum base. A dessert direction, and not the same thing as kuri shochu, which is a base spirit.

    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.

  • Madeira (dry, Sercial or Verdelho)

    Worth trying

    Blandy's or Barbeito, ten year. It is the one fortified wine that brings real acid, so it can do the lemon's job on a bottle where fresh citrus reads harsh.

    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.

  • Shaoxing wine (drinking grade)

    Worth trying

    Buy the drinking grade from a shop with a liquor licence, not the salted cooking bottle, which will wreck the drink. A bar spoon is enough.

    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.

  • Citric and malic acid solution

    Worth trying

    Food-grade citric and malic powder from the canning aisle, 10 grams whisked into 100 grams of cold water; two parts citric to one malic is close to lime. Some bartenders find a drink with no juice in it thin, so it is worth trying both ways.

    • Sourness with nothing attached to it, so the bottle's own perfume stays in front

  • Apple

    Worth trying

    Cold-pressed juice or thin slices. Green apple is already in the aroma of a lot of rice shochu, so this amplifies what is there rather than adding something new.

    • Barley's light sweetness reads as orchard fruit already, so apple and pear extend the bottle rather than decorate it.

  • Apricot

    Worth trying

    Fresh in season, dried the rest of the year. Apricot and umeshu share a family, which is why they get along.

    • Fresh in season, dried the rest of the year. Apricot and umeshu share a family, which is why they get along.

  • Basil

    Worth trying

    Muddled gently with citrus. Thai basil brings anise, Italian basil brings pepper.

    • A clean barley spirit takes herbs the way vodka does, but with a cereal sweetness underneath that gives them something to sit on.

  • Blanc vermouth

    Worth trying

    Dolin blanc or Lillet. Sweeter and more floral than dry; for the aromatic bottles.

    • Blanc vermouth's flowers and vanilla meet floral bottles

  • Blueberry

    Worth trying

    Muddled, or as a syrup. Mild; bring acid from elsewhere.

    • Gentle fruit for a gentle bottle

  • Cardamom

    Worth trying

    A few crushed pods, or a syrup. Floral, citrusy and warm at once; it bridges fruit and spice.

    • Cardamom is a floral spice; floral bottles meet it

  • Cherry

    Worth trying

    Fresh in early summer; morello or amarena in syrup otherwise. Dark cherry for aged bottles, bright cherry for sparkling.

    • Fresh in early summer; morello or amarena in syrup otherwise. Dark cherry for aged bottles, bright cherry for sparkling.

  • Dill

    Worth trying

    Fronds, gently muddled. For the savory, saline glass.

    • A clean barley spirit takes herbs the way vodka does, but with a cereal sweetness underneath that gives them something to sit on.

  • Elderflower

    Worth trying

    Cordial or the liqueur. Muscat, lychee and honey in one flower.

    • Elderflower on a floral bottle is the obvious spritz

  • Elderflower liqueur

    Worth trying

    St-Germain or similar. A half ounce is enough.

    • The liqueur version of the flower, for stirred drinks

  • Goya (bitter melon)

    Worth trying

    Two slices from any Asian grocery, seeds out. The bitterness is water soluble, so at 25 percent it steeps in minutes and stops there, where a 40 percent spirit pulls it medicinal within the hour.

    • Two slices from any Asian grocery, seeds out. The bitterness is water soluble, so at 25 percent it steeps in minutes and stops there, where a 40 percent spirit pulls it medicinal within the hour.

  • Honeydew melon

    Worth trying

    Ripe honeydew, juiced or in cubes. If a bottle says melon on the label, this is the proof.

    • Ripe honeydew, juiced or in cubes. If a bottle says melon on the label, this is the proof.

  • Jasmine

    Worth trying

    A syrup or a few dried blossoms steeped. See jasmine tea for the long drink.

    • Jasmine amplifies whatever floral note the bottle has

  • Karin (quince) liqueur

    Worth trying

    Ayagiku's, on a shochu base, or Kikusui's. Raw quince is inedible and gives up its scent only in alcohol, so the liqueur is the only practical form; it opens up in hot water.

    • The perfume sits beside a floral bottle rather than over it

  • Kinome (sansho leaf)

    Worth trying

    Young sansho leaves, clapped between the palms and floated. Hard to find outside Japanese markets in spring, worth the hunt.

    • A clean barley spirit takes herbs the way vodka does, but with a cereal sweetness underneath that gives them something to sit on.

  • Lychee

    Worth trying

    Fresh in early summer, canned in syrup the rest of the year (drain it). The signature aroma of a whole school of imo shochu.

    • Lychee is half fruit, half flower, and floral bottles agree

  • Lychee liqueur

    Worth trying

    Kwai Feh or Dita. Perfumed and quite sweet, so treat it as the aroma and let the shochu stay the drink.

    • Lychee and a floral bottle are one perfume, not two

  • Mint

    Worth trying

    Slapped, not muddled to bits. Mint reads as cold, which makes any low-proof drink feel more refreshing.

    • A clean barley spirit takes herbs the way vodka does, but with a cereal sweetness underneath that gives them something to sit on.

  • Osmanthus (kinmokusei)

    Worth trying

    Dried osmanthus flowers steeped, or the syrup. Apricot and honey, and the smell of October in Japan.

    • Autumn blossom on a floral bottle

  • Passion fruit

    Worth trying

    The most useful tropical fruit for mixing: intensely aromatic and properly sour. Pulp with seeds, or a good puree.

    • Its own floral note joins the bottle's

  • Raspberry

    Worth trying

    Sour enough to be useful. Muddle a handful, or use a good puree.

    • Raspberry has a rose note that floral bottles meet

  • Rose

    Worth trying

    A drop of rose water, or a rose syrup. A drop; it takes over.

    • Rose on a floral bottle is a perfume counter

  • Sakura (cherry blossom)

    Worth trying

    Salt-pickled blossoms (rinsed) or sakura syrup. Floral, faintly almond, a touch of salt.

    • Blossom on blossom

  • Umeshu

    Worth trying

    Sweet, sour, almondy. A splash does the work of both syrup and citrus.

    • Barley shochu with a float of umeshu and soda

  • Watermelon

    Worth trying

    Fresh juice, strained. Add a pinch of salt.

    • Fresh juice, strained. Add a pinch of salt.

  • Yuzu marmalade (yuja-cha)

    Worth trying

    The Korean-style yuzu preserve sold in jars. A spoon in hot water with shochu, or shaken cold.

    • Yuzu tea and barley shochu in hot water is a winter izakaya drink

  • Genever

    Worth trying

    Bols Genever, around thirty-five dollars. The split base for a grain shochu, in a way plain gin is not.

    • Malt walks over a delicate perfume
    • Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.
    • Malt wine and barley shochu are the same grain distilled two different ways

  • Hot water (oyuwari)

    Worth trying

    Hot water in the glass first, spirit poured on top so it mixes itself. Around 40C in the glass is the sweet spot. This is not the only way, it is one way.

    • Heat blows off delicate perfume
    • Barley has less to open up than sweet potato, so water shows you exactly what is there. That is a fair test and not always a flattering one: a thin mugi has nowhere to hide in it.
    • Mugi oyuwari in winter, with an umeboshi

  • Tomato

    Worth trying

    Good tomato juice, or a ripe tomato muddled and strained. The savour koji leaves behind and the savour in a tomato are the same glutamate.

    • Tomato and perfume do not belong in one glass
    • Barley shochu and tomato juice is an izakaya standard order
    • Good tomato juice, or a ripe tomato muddled and strained. The savour koji leaves behind and the savour in a tomato are the same glutamate.

  • Ume (Japanese plum)

    Worth trying

    Umeboshi (salt-pickled), ume syrup, or the fruit's own liqueur. Sour, salty and savory at once.

    • Umeboshi's salt flattens delicate perfume
    • Barley shochu with an umeboshi dropped in is a real izakaya order
    • Umeboshi (salt-pickled), ume syrup, or the fruit's own liqueur. Sour, salty and savory at once.

  • Sea salt

    Worth trying

    A pinch in the glass or a half rim. Salt does not make a drink salty in small amounts; it makes it taste more like itself.

    • A pinch in the glass or a half rim. Salt does not make a drink salty in small amounts; it makes it taste more like itself.

  • Umezu (ume plum vinegar)

    Worth trying

    Eden Foods sells it as Ume Plum Vinegar in most US supermarkets, and it is one of the cheapest things on this list. A bar spoon, and unlike a crushed umeboshi it can go into a shaken drink.

    • Eden Foods sells it as Ume Plum Vinegar in most US supermarkets, and it is one of the cheapest things on this list. A bar spoon, and unlike a crushed umeboshi it can go into a shaken drink.

Ways to serve it

  • Mizuwari (with water)
  • On the rocks

Barley is the easiest shochu to hand to someone who has never had any. It behaves like a clean grain spirit with a little cereal sweetness, so a highball with lemon needs no explaining and no apology.

Cocktails other people made

Nobody has published a cocktail written for this exact bottle. These were written for other bottles, so each one says which, and what changes if you pour this instead.

Show 8 more

  • Tokyo Weekender · Shun Kosaka

    Japanese Vesper

    Written for a similar bottle

    Written for Nikaido Kitchomu Barley Shochu, also a barley shochu.

    • nikaido kitchomu (mugi shochu) 40ml
    • fuutan (imo shochu with kuro koji) 10ml
    • lillet blanc (mixed with roasted rice and yuzu peel) 10ml
    • lemon peel to garnish

    Stirred.

    Full method at Tokyo Weekender →

  • thesgshochu.com

    Espresso Martini

    Written for a similar bottle

    Written for SG Shochu MUGI, also a barley shochu. This bottle is lighter, 23% against 40%, so cut the mixer back or it will disappear.

    • the sg shochu mugi 40ml
    • espresso 30ml
    • maple syrup 7ml
    • fresh rosemary

    Shaken.

    Full method at thesgshochu.com →

  • thesgshochu.com

    Old Fashioned

    Written for a similar bottle

    Written for SG Shochu MUGI, also a barley shochu. This bottle is lighter, 23% against 40%, so cut the mixer back or it will disappear.

    • the sg shochu mugi 45ml
    • oloroso sherry 15ml
    • maple syrup 2 bar spoons
    • angostura bitters 2 dashes
    • orange peel

    Built in the glass.

    Full method at thesgshochu.com →

  • Umami Mart blog

    Oolong-Hai (Shochu Iced Tea)

    Written for barley shochu

    • 6 parts oolong tea (substitute with sencha (green tea) for a sencha-hai)
    • 4 parts shochu (i recommend satsuma imo (sweet potato) or mugi (barley))
    • ice

    Built in the glass, topped with soda.

    Full method at Umami Mart blog →

  • Umami Mart blog

    Yuzu Chuhai

    Written for iichiko

    iichiko is a range rather than one bottle, so the strength and the style vary across it. Treat this as a starting point.

    • 2.5 oz iichiko bar yuzu liqueur
    • 1 oz iichiko barley shochu
    • 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
    • ice
    • club soda

    Built in the glass, topped with soda.

    Full method at Umami Mart blog →

  • Umami Mart blog

    Ohayo-Hai

    Written for iichiko

    iichiko is a range rather than one bottle, so the strength and the style vary across it. Treat this as a starting point.

    • 3 oz iichiko barley shochu
    • 2 oz umami mart x far leaves ohayo hojicha tea
    • ice

    Built in the glass.

    Full method at Umami Mart blog →

  • liquor.com

    Haiballer

    Written for Mizu

    Mizu is a range rather than one bottle, so the strength and the style vary across it. Treat this as a starting point.

    • 1 1/2 ounces mizu shochu
    • 1/2 ounce whisky
    • 5 ounces golden delicious soda*
    • 3 dashes bitters
    • garnish: dried burdock root chip

    Built in the glass, topped with soda.

    Full method at liquor.com →

  • punchdrink.com · Kenta Goto, Bar Goto, New York City

    Improved Shochu Cocktail

    Written for Mizu No Mai

    We hold no record for that bottle, so treat this as a starting point rather than a match.

    • 2 ounces barley shochu, preferably mizu no mai
    • 2 teaspoons aged gin, preferably berkshire ethereal gin
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons cane syrup (2:1, sugar:water)
    • 1 pinch hitachino no shizuku

    Stirred.

    Full method at punchdrink.com →

Bottles like this one

Closest on the flavour profile within the same style family, so the mixers above tend to carry across.

Sources and verification

Filed under mugi shochu.