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Kurenai Sango (Red Coral)

Amamioshimakaiun Shuzo · Kagoshima · Kokuto (brown sugar)

  • aged
  • honkaku

Pour this first

Jasmine tea, tall over ice. Cinnamon with it.

There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.

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

Kokuto shochu from Amamioshimakaiun Shuzo in Kagoshima. No source we have publishes any tasting notes for it, so the profile below is what this style usually tastes like rather than this particular bottle.

  • kokuto
  • aged
Sweet
4/5
Body
4/5
Aroma
3/5
Fruit
0/5
Floral
0/5
Grain
1/5
Earth
2/5
Umami
2/5
Base
black sugar
Aging
Long-aged

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 98 pairings

  • Daidai (bitter orange)

    Strong match

    Bitter orange: sour and aromatic rather than sweet, the citrus that goes into ponzu. Bottled juice is sold for cooking and works straight in a glass. Use the peel too, it carries most of the smell.

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Brown sugar and bitter orange is rum and orange with the sugar turned down
    • The peel is doing what the orange twist on an old fashioned does
    • Bitter orange: sour and aromatic rather than sweet, the citrus that goes into ponzu. Bottled juice is sold for cooking and works straight in a glass. Use the peel too, it carries most of the smell.

  • Cardamom

    Strong match

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

    • Cardamom and brown sugar is a chai
    • Spice on aged, nutty notes
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • A few crushed pods, or a syrup. Floral, citrusy and warm at once; it bridges fruit and spice.

  • Cinnamon

    Strong match

    A stick in hot water with the spirit, or a light syrup. Winter.

    • Cinnamon and aged notes are a hot toddy
    • Brown sugar and cinnamon
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • A stick in hot water with the spirit, or a light syrup. Winter.

  • Star anise

    Strong match

    One star, steeped, for the dark bottles.

    • Anise and aged notes are a winter cabinet
    • Star anise and brown sugar is a braise
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • One star, steeped, for the dark bottles.

  • Lime

    Strong match

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

    • Cane sugar spirit and lime is the daiquiri, and kokuto shochu is a cane spirit at two thirds the proof.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Lime and cane sugar spirit is the oldest pairing in rum, and kokuto shochu is a cane spirit

  • Pineapple

    Strong match

    Fresh juice, or grilled wedges for a smokier drink. The awamori fruit.

    • Everything the tiki canon does with rum works here, and works better, because the drink does not end the evening.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Brown sugar spirit, pineapple, lime: that is a daiquiri variation

  • Shikuwasa

    Strong 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.

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Okinawa's citrus against Amami's sugar, which is the whole southern islands in a glass
    • 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.

  • Amaro

    Strong match

    Montenegro, Nonino, Averna. Equal parts with a dark shochu over ice is a whole drink.

    • Brown sugar carries bitterness the way a boulevardier carries whiskey. Amaro and red bitter both land.
    • Amaro and aged notes are a winter bar
    • Brown sugar and bitter herbs
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.

  • Aromatic bitters

    Strong match

    Angostura or a Japanese aromatic. Two dashes.

    • Kokuto old fashioned
    • Two dashes wake up an aged bottle
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Angostura or a Japanese aromatic. Two dashes.

  • Black tea (Earl Grey)

    Strong match

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

    • Coffee and black tea meet the molasses in the bottle rather than arguing with it.
    • Black tea's tannin sits well with aged notes
    • Black tea and brown sugar is milk tea logic
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.

  • Hojicha

    Strong match

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

    • Roasted tea and aged notes are a fireside
    • Hojicha and kokuto is a tea-house dessert
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Cold-brewed or hot. Roasted green tea, low in bitterness, high in toast. The oyuwari of teas.

  • Kumquat

    Strong match

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

    • Kumquat's bitter peel stands up to aged, nutty notes
    • A Kyushu winter fruit with a Kyushu winter spirit
    • Eaten whole, peel and all. Muddle a few in a glass; the peel gives bitterness, the flesh gives tartness.

  • Ginger

    Good match

    Fresh juice, a syrup, or a good ginger beer. The spice that makes a low-proof drink feel like it has a backbone.

    • Ginger and brown sugar is a dark and stormy. Kokuto shochu makes it at half the alcohol.
    • Ginger and brown sugar is a dark and stormy with an Amami accent
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.

  • Togarashi (chili)

    Good match

    A rim of shichimi, or a slice of fresh chili. Heat on fruit, not on rice.

    • Brown sugar and chili is a hot honey logic
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • A rim of shichimi, or a slice of fresh chili. Heat on fruit, not on rice.

  • Blood orange

    Good match

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

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Orange with a raspberry edge. Winter fruit; worth waiting for.

  • Grapefruit

    Good 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.

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • 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.

  • Hyuganatsu

    Good 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.

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • 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.

  • Kabosu

    Good match

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

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Oita's citrus, softer than sudachi. Bartenders in Oita mix it with the local barley shochu and soda.

  • Kiwi

    Good match

    Muddled with the seeds. Green, sour and refreshing, and cheap year round.

    • Everything the tiki canon does with rum works here, and works better, because the drink does not end the evening.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.

  • Passion fruit

    Good match

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

    • Everything the tiki canon does with rum works here, and works better, because the drink does not end the evening.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.

  • Sudachi

    Good match

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

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • 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.

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • 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.

  • Red aperitivo bitter (Campari-style)

    Good match

    Campari, Aperol, or a Japanese bitter like Kina. Shochu is low enough in proof to make an aperitivo you can actually have two of.

    • Brown sugar carries bitterness the way a boulevardier carries whiskey. Amaro and red bitter both land.
    • Kokuto shochu and red bitter is a boulevardier logic
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.

  • Coconut

    Good match

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

    • Everything the tiki canon does with rum works here, and works better, because the drink does not end the evening.
    • Brown sugar spirit and coconut is Amami and the Caribbean agreeing

  • Coffee (cold brew)

    Good match

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

    • Coffee and black tea meet the molasses in the bottle rather than arguing with it.
    • Brown sugar spirit and coffee is a rum-and-coffee, and Amami makes coffee liqueur from it
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.

  • Fernet

    Good match

    A quarter ounce. Menthol and bitterness, for the darkest bottles.

    • Fernet and cane spirit is an Argentine instinct
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • A quarter ounce. Menthol and bitterness, for the darkest bottles.

  • Matcha

    Good match

    Whisked into a slurry first, never dumped in dry. Bitter, umami and creamy at once.

    • Matcha and brown sugar is a wagashi
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Whisked into a slurry first, never dumped in dry. Bitter, umami and creamy at once.

  • Black pepper

    Good match

    A few grinds over the top. Aroma more than heat.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • A few grinds over the top. Aroma more than heat.

  • Sansho pepper

    Good match

    A pinch of ground sansho over the top, or a few peppercorns steeped. Numbing, citrusy, green.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • A pinch of ground sansho over the top, or a few peppercorns steeped. Numbing, citrusy, green.

  • Wasabi

    Good match

    A rice-grain amount, dissolved. For the savory, cucumber glass, not the fruit one.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • A rice-grain amount, dissolved. For the savory, cucumber glass, not the fruit one.

  • Yuzu kosho

    Good match

    The Kyushu condiment, in a tube in any Japanese grocer: fermented yuzu peel, green chili and salt. A quarter teaspoon stirred into an oyuwari, which is the serve Asahi publishes.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • The Kyushu condiment, in a tube in any Japanese grocer: fermented yuzu peel, green chili and salt. A quarter teaspoon stirred into an oyuwari, which is the serve Asahi publishes.

  • Vanilla

    Good match

    A split bean in a syrup, or a good extract, in small amounts.

    • This bottle brings its own sweetness. More sugar is the most common way a drink built on it goes wrong.
    • Brown sugar and vanilla
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • A split bean in a syrup, or a good extract, in small amounts.

  • 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.

    • Fresh lemon reads harsh against aged, caramel notes
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Brown sugar and lemon is the daiquiri logic, in a lighter spirit
    • 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.

  • Apricot

    Good match

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

    • Long aging turns a spirit towards stone fruit; the apricot joins what is already there
    • Apricot and brown sugar is a jam logic

  • Coffee liqueur

    Good match

    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.

    • Brown sugar and coffee is the pairing Amami distillers make themselves
    • An espresso martini at this proof is a drink you can have after dinner and still talk

  • Cream

    Good match

    Half-and-half or heavy cream, in the after-dinner glass only.

    • Cream and molasses is a flip, and kokuto shochu with milk is an ordinary Amami dessert.
    • Brown sugar spirit and cream is a Kyushu flip

  • Fig

    Good match

    Fresh figs muddled, or fig jam. For the aged and the brown-sugar bottles only.

    • Fig meets the dried fruit that kusu awamori and long aged shochu already carry
    • Fig and brown sugar is a dessert plate

  • Ginger liqueur

    Good match

    Barrow's Intense, made in Brooklyn, is the one to look for: much more ginger and much less sugar than most, so it works as the spice in a drink rather than as the sweetener. Domaine de Canton is the easier one to find and the sweeter one. Either gets you the mule flavour without the sugar load of a ginger beer, and both work hot as well as cold. They carry their own alcohol, so they lengthen a shochu less than a juice or a syrup would.

    • Warm spice against caramel, without the sugar a ginger beer brings
    • Brown sugar and ginger is the oldest warm drink there is

  • Hot water (oyuwari)

    Good match

    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.

    • Kokuto oyuwari smells of brown sugar candy
    • 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.

  • Milk

    Good match

    Cold whole milk. Shochu milk-wari is a real order in Kyushu, not a dare.

    • Cream and molasses is a flip, and kokuto shochu with milk is an ordinary Amami dessert.
    • Kokuto shochu and milk is an Amami dessert

  • Orange liqueur

    Good match

    Cointreau or a dry curaçao. The sweet-and-citrus half of any sour.

    • Kokuto shochu, orange liqueur, lime: a margarita shape with a cane spirit
    • Aged bottles and orange peel liqueur

  • Soy milk (tonyu)

    Good match

    Unsweetened, four parts shochu to six parts soy milk, which is how the Japanese recipes write it. Stronger than it tastes, so pour it knowing that.

    • Bean sweetness and brown sugar land on the same note
    • Unsweetened, four parts shochu to six parts soy milk, which is how the Japanese recipes write it. Stronger than it tastes, so pour it knowing that.

  • Sweet vermouth (rosso)

    Good match

    Carpano Antica or Cocchi. A quarter of the shochu's volume, stirred cold, is a manhattan at well under half the usual proof.

    • An aged bottle already has the caramel a manhattan wants; this brings the botanicals
    • Brown sugar and sweet vermouth read as one long caramel note

  • Alpine amaro (Braulio-style)

    Good match

    Braulio, made in Bormio from gentian, juniper, peppermint and yarrow, around forty-five dollars. A summer drink on shochu and a winter one on whisky, which is one bottle behaving two ways.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Braulio, made in Bormio from gentian, juniper, peppermint and yarrow, around forty-five dollars. A summer drink on shochu and a winter one on whisky, which is one bottle behaving two ways.

  • Carciofo amaro (Cynar-style)

    Good match

    Cynar, 16.5 percent, which is weaker than the shochu itself, so equal parts lands near 20 percent and the drink stays long. Soda or a grapefruit soda over the top is the producer's own serve.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Cynar, 16.5 percent, which is weaker than the shochu itself, so equal parts lands near 20 percent and the drink stays long. Soda or a grapefruit soda over the top is the producer's own serve.

  • Celery bitters

    Good match

    Scrappy's leads with the seed, Fee Brothers has garlic and ginger behind it, The Bitter Truth reads more astringent than bitter. Two dashes.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Scrappy's leads with the seed, Fee Brothers has garlic and ginger behind it, The Bitter Truth reads more astringent than bitter. Two dashes.

  • Genmaicha

    Good match

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

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Green tea with popped, toasted rice. Cold-brew it.

  • Gentian (Suze-style)

    Good match

    Suze or Salers. Bitter root, bright yellow. A little in a highball changes everything.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Suze or Salers. Bitter root, bright yellow. A little in a highball changes everything.

  • 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.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Cold-brewed sencha, unsweetened. The green tea highball is one of the most common ways shochu is actually drunk in Japan.

  • Japanese craft bitters (yuzu, shiso, umami)

    Good match

    The Japanese Bitters, five 100ml expressions, sold at Astor Wines in New York. Angostura at nearly 45 percent is a small spike in a 25 percent drink in a way these are not.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • The Japanese Bitters, five 100ml expressions, sold at Astor Wines in New York. Angostura at nearly 45 percent is a small spike in a 25 percent drink in a way these are not.

  • Jasmine tea

    Good match

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

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Cold-brewed. Floral without sugar. The jasmine highball is a real menu item in Japan.

  • Lychee

    Good match

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

    • Everything the tiki canon does with rum works here, and works better, because the drink does not end the evening.

  • Mugicha (barley tea)

    Good match

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

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Cold, unsweetened barley tea. Every Japanese fridge has a pitcher in summer. Mix one to three over ice.

  • Oolong tea

    Good match

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

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Unsweetened, cold. One part shochu to three or four parts tea, over ice.

  • 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.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • 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.

  • Quinquina aperitif (Cocchi Americano-style)

    Good match

    Cocchi Americano: moscato steeped with cinchona bark, gentian and bitter orange. Lillet dropped its quinine in 1985, so only the Americano side of the category still tastes of the bark, and equal parts with a shochu is about 21 percent.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Cocchi Americano: moscato steeped with cinchona bark, gentian and bitter orange. Lillet dropped its quinine in 1985, so only the Americano side of the category still tastes of the bark, and equal parts with a shochu is about 21 percent.

  • Rabarbaro amaro (rhubarb root)

    Good match

    Cappelletti Sfumato, where sfumato means smoked and the smoke is the point, or the sweeter Zucca. At 20 percent it can take a third of the glass and still leave the drink under 22.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Cappelletti Sfumato, where sfumato means smoked and the smoke is the point, or the sweeter Zucca. At 20 percent it can take a third of the glass and still leave the drink under 22.

  • 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.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • 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.

  • Banana

    Good match

    Ripe banana, muddled or as a syrup. Isoamyl acetate, the ester behind a ginjo aroma, is the same compound that makes a banana smell of banana.

    • Everything the tiki canon does with rum works here, and works better, because the drink does not end the evening.
    • This bottle brings its own sweetness. More sugar is the most common way a drink built on it goes wrong.
    • Banana and brown sugar is bananas foster

  • Orange

    Good match

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

    • This bottle brings its own sweetness. More sugar is the most common way a drink built on it goes wrong.
    • Orange and brown sugar is a rum punch instinct that carries over
    • Fresh juice when you want it long and easy; the peel when the bottle is aged and the drink is stirred.

  • 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.

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.

  • Cranberry

    Worth trying

    Unsweetened juice. Sharp and a little tannic, useful for cutting sweetness.

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.

  • Hibiscus

    Worth trying

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

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.

  • Kurozu (Kagoshima black vinegar)

    Worth trying

    Sakamoto's, fermented outdoors in earthenware jars in Fukuyama and aged at least a year; Toiro and Japanese Taste ship it in the US. A teaspoon in a mizuwari is the whole intervention, and a second one is usually a mistake.

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.

  • Raspberry

    Worth trying

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

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.

  • Ume (Japanese plum)

    Worth trying

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

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.

  • 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.

    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.

  • 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.

    • Marzipan against caramel, which is a dessert people already eat

  • Amazake (sweet koji rice)

    Worth trying

    The non-alcoholic koji drink, sweet from rice starch alone. Blend with the spirit and ice; it is a shochu smoothie.

    • The non-alcoholic koji drink, sweet from rice starch alone. Blend with the spirit and ice; it is a shochu smoothie.

  • Amontillado sherry

    Worth trying

    Lustau or González Byass. Fino is salt and living flor; this is what is left after the flor dies, and at 18 percent an ounce lengthens the glass rather than strengthening it.

    • Both have spent years going quietly brown, and they meet in the middle

  • Apricot liqueur

    Worth trying

    Rothman and Winter, or a Japanese anzu liqueur. Closer to umeshu than to a candy liqueur if you buy a good one.

    • Long aging turns towards stone fruit anyway; this meets it there

  • Basil

    Worth trying

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

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

  • Cherry

    Worth trying

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

    • Dark cherry against aged, oxidative notes

  • Dill

    Worth trying

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

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

  • Egg white

    Worth trying

    One white, dry-shaken. Texture without flavor.

    • One white, dry-shaken. Texture without flavor.

  • Fino sherry

    Worth trying

    Fino or manzanilla. Savory, salty, bone dry.

    • Oxidative on oxidative

  • Ginger beer

    Worth trying

    A spicy one, not a sweet one. The mule format works for every dark shochu, and it is the most forgiving way to serve one.

    • Kokuto shochu and ginger beer is a dark and stormy at half the proof

  • 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.

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

  • Lemongrass

    Worth trying

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

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

  • Makrut lime leaf

    Worth trying

    Torn leaves steeped briefly. Perfumed citrus without juice.

    • Torn leaves steeped briefly. Perfumed citrus without juice.

  • Maraschino

    Worth trying

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

    • Maraschino is what makes a stirred aged drink taste finished rather than flat

  • Miso

    Worth trying

    White miso whisked into a syrup, a small spoon per drink. Salty, sweet and savory at once.

    • Miso caramel is a dessert, and kokuto is the caramel

  • Oat milk

    Worth trying

    The dairy-free milk that tastes of cereal, which is why it likes grain spirits.

    • The dairy-free milk that tastes of cereal, which is why it likes grain spirits.

  • Osmanthus (kinmokusei)

    Worth trying

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

    • Honeyed flower on honeyed age

  • Rosemary

    Worth trying

    A sprig, lightly toasted with a lighter, as garnish or stirred. Strong; a little.

    • A sprig, lightly toasted with a lighter, as garnish or stirred. Strong; a little.

  • 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.

    • Salt and brown sugar

  • Shiitake

    Worth trying

    A dried shiitake steeped in the spirit for a day. Savory and strange in the best way.

    • A long aged spirit and dried mushroom share a forest floor note

  • Soda water

    Worth trying

    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.

    • Kokuto highball, with a lime

  • Soy sauce

    Worth trying

    A drop. Think of it as salt with depth, for the savory glass only.

    • A long aged spirit and aged soy share the same brown, oxidative notes

  • Sparkling wine (brut)

    Worth trying

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

    • A kokuto shochu French 75

  • Cold water (mizuwari)

    Worth trying

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

    • Warmth brings the molasses forward. Cold water is the better choice if the bottle is already sweet, because it lengthens without pushing the sugar further.

  • Sumomo (Japanese plum) liqueur

    Worth trying

    Dewazakura's from Yamagata plums, or Machida Shuzo's on Amami kokuto shochu. It does umeshu's job and leaves the glass drier, which matters when the bottle is already sweet.

    • The Amami bottlings are literally kokuto shochu with plum steeped in it

  • Thyme

    Worth trying

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

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

  • Toasted sesame

    Worth trying

    A sesame syrup, or a rim of ground sesame and salt. Toasty and rich.

    • Sesame and brown sugar is a wagashi

  • Mango

    Worth trying

    Ripe mango puree. Needs lime beside it or it goes flat.

    • Everything the tiki canon does with rum works here, and works better, because the drink does not end the evening.
    • This bottle brings its own sweetness. More sugar is the most common way a drink built on it goes wrong.

  • Mikan (satsuma)

    Worth trying

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

    • This bottle brings its own sweetness. More sugar is the most common way a drink built on it goes wrong.
    • Sweet, low-acid Japanese mandarin. Juice it or drop segments in a glass. It needs a squeeze of something sharper alongside.

  • Mint

    Worth trying

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

    • Mint's brightness argues with aged notes
    • Mint, lime and a cane spirit is a mojito, and Amami has the sugar for it.
    • Brown sugar spirit, mint, lime, soda: a mojito with an Amami accent

  • Gum syrup (gomme)

    Worth trying

    Small Hand Foods', or sugar, water and gum arabic from the baking aisle at home. Worth knowing that most Japanese gum syrup on a shelf today has no arabic gum in it at all.

    • The bottle already brings sugar. Add more only to balance a sharp acid, never to sweeten.

Ways to serve it

  • On the rocks
  • Mizuwari (with water)

Brown sugar shochu is legally only made on the Amami islands, and it is a cane spirit in everything but name. Every rum drink you know is available to it at two thirds the alcohol.

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

  • Nankai Shochu

    Nankai Coffee Tonic

    Written for a similar bottle

    Written for Nankai Gold Shochu, also a brown sugar shochu.

    • 1 oz Nankai Gold
    • 1 oz cold brew coffee
    • 2 oz tonic water
    • 0.5 oz simple syrup
    • Orange peel, for garnish

    Built in the glass.

    Full method at Nankai Shochu →

  • Nankai Shochu · Matthew Biancaniello and Adam Chapman

    Shiitake Old Fashioned

    Written for a similar bottle

    Written for Nankai White Oak Shochu, also a brown sugar shochu. We have this one as the sweeter of the two, which is what will move most in the glass.

    • 2 oz shiitake-infused Nankai White Oak
    • 0.25 oz kokuto syrup
    • 1 dash candy cap bitters
    • For the infusion: 1 bottle Nankai White Oak, 2 dried shiitake, 2 fresh shiitake
    • For the bitters: 180 ml aromatic bitters, 1 handful candy cap mushrooms
    • For the syrup: 1 cup kokuto sugar

    Stirred.

    Full method at Nankai Shochu →

  • Nankai Shochu

    Thai Kokuto Gimlet

    Written for a similar bottle

    Written for Nankai Shochu (Original), also a brown sugar shochu.

    • 3 oz Nankai Shochu
    • 1 oz lime juice
    • 1 oz Thai kokuto syrup
    • 3 to 6 drops olive oil, optional
    • For the syrup: 1 cup water, half a cup raw sugar, half a cup kokuto black sugar, 4 to 6 makrut lime leaves

    Shaken.

    Full method at Nankai Shochu →

  • Nankai Shochu

    Yuzu Martini

    Written for a similar bottle

    Written for Nankai Shochu (Original), also a brown sugar shochu.

    • 2.25 oz Nankai Shochu
    • 0.75 oz dry vermouth
    • 2 to 5 dashes yuzu juice
    • 1 dash orange bitters
    • Lemon peel, expressed

    Stirred.

    Full method at Nankai Shochu →

  • Nankai Shochu · Gersom Gamez

    Habu's Neck, aka the Shochu Buck

    Written for a similar bottle

    Written for Nankai Gold Shochu, also a brown sugar shochu.

    • 1.5 oz Nankai Gold
    • 0.5 oz pomelo juice
    • 4 oz ginger beer
    • A long pomelo peel, for garnish

    Built in the glass.

    Full method at Nankai Shochu →

  • Nankai Shochu

    Nankai Greyhound

    Written for a similar bottle

    Written for Nankai Shochu (Original), also a brown sugar shochu.

    • 1.5 oz Nankai Shochu
    • 3 oz grapefruit juice
    • 0.5 oz elderflower liqueur
    • A pinch of sea salt, or a salt rimmed glass

    Built in the glass.

    Full method at Nankai Shochu →

  • Nankai Shochu

    Hana Hana Highball

    Written for brown sugar shochu

    • 2 oz Nankai Shochu or Nankai Gold
    • 4 oz soda water, the more carbonated the better
    • One third of a lemon, squeezed in

    Built in the glass, topped with soda.

    Full method at Nankai Shochu →

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 kokuto shochu.