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Kuro Onibi

Tasaki Shuzo · Kagoshima · Imo (sweet potato)

  • black koji
  • honkaku
  • aged

Pour this first

Soda water, tall over ice. Yuzu with it.

The distilleries themselves now sell imo shochu as a highball. Soda lifts the aroma off the glass instead of burying 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

Imo shochu from Tasaki Shuzo in Kagoshima. Producer's tasting notes: roasted sweet potato, clean, sweet. The profile below is built from the tasting notes the producer publishes.

  • sweet potato
  • roasted sweet potato
  • clean
  • sweet
  • koji
  • aged
Sweet
5/5
Body
4/5
Aroma
5/5
Fruit
2/5
Floral
1/5
Grain
1/5
Earth
4/5
Umami
2/5
Base
roasted sweet potato with black rice koji
Koji
black koji
ABV
25%

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 109 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.

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Daidai is the citrus in ponzu, and ponzu is already on the table next to imo shochu
    • The peel is doing what the orange twist on an old fashioned does

  • 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.

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • A Miyazaki citrus and a Miyazaki spirit, which is usually all the reason a pairing needs
    • Mild enough that a light bottle is still the thing you taste

  • Yuzu

    Strong 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.

    • Citrus acid is what cuts sweet potato's weight, which is why Kagoshima bars pour imo shochu with grapefruit and yuzu before anything else.
    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • A clean bottle gives yuzu a blank page

  • Kabosu

    Strong match

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

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Milder than sudachi, so it does not fight a delicate bottle
    • Oita's citrus, softer than sudachi. Bartenders in Oita mix it with the local barley shochu and soda.

  • 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.

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Sharper and more bitter than a lime, which is what keeps it from disappearing into a light bottle
    • 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.

  • Sudachi

    Strong match

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

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Sudachi's green sharpness shows best on a clean bottle
    • A small green citrus from Tokushima, sharper and more herbal than lime. Sold frozen or as juice in Japanese markets.

  • Soda water

    Strong 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 distilleries themselves now sell imo shochu as a highball. Soda lifts the aroma off the glass instead of burying it.
    • Carbonation carries aroma up out of the glass, so a highball shows an aromatic bottle off rather than diluting the point of it.
    • Daiyame and other new-wave imo shochu are marketed as highballs by the distilleries themselves
    • Bubbles on a clean bottle: the simplest refreshing drink on this list

  • Kiwi

    Strong match

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

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Kiwi's tartness shows on a clean bottle
    • Muddled with the seeds. Green, sour and refreshing, and cheap year round.

  • Kurozu (Kagoshima black vinegar)

    Strong match

    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.

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Black vinegar is rice fermented with koji and then soured, so it is the same mould arriving a second time
    • 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.

  • Passion fruit

    Strong match

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

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Tropical acid against sweet-potato depth is a modern Kagoshima cocktail
    • The most useful tropical fruit for mixing: intensely aromatic and properly sour. Pulp with seeds, or a good puree.

  • Umezu (ume plum vinegar)

    Strong match

    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.

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Salt and lactic acid land on the sweetness koji leaves behind
    • 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.

  • Blood orange

    Strong match

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

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • 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.

  • Lime

    Good match

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

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Sharper and greener than lemon. The citrus for anything built on brown sugar or tropical fruit.

  • Ginger beer

    Good match

    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.

    • The distilleries themselves now sell imo shochu as a highball. Soda lifts the aroma off the glass instead of burying it.
    • Carbonation carries aroma up out of the glass, so a highball shows an aromatic bottle off rather than diluting the point of it.
    • Imo shochu mule: ginger beer, lime, over ice

  • Amaro

    Good match

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

    • Amaro and gentian answer the earth with more earth, which is why a split-base imo drink reads as intentional rather than odd.
    • Amaro and aged notes are a winter bar
    • Amaro's herbs answer imo shochu's earth
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.

  • Aromatic bitters

    Good match

    Angostura or a Japanese aromatic. Two dashes.

    • Two dashes wake up an aged bottle
    • Bitters give imo shochu a stirred-drink shape
    • 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.

  • Cinnamon

    Good match

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

    • Cinnamon and aged notes are a hot toddy
    • Cinnamon on sweet potato is a pie
    • 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.

  • 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.

    • Hot water is the Kagoshima serve and it earns its reputation: heat pulls the earth and the sweetness up out of the glass. Cold water does the opposite and lengthens it without changing its shape.
    • Mizuwari shows a clean bottle as it is, just lighter
    • Maewari: mix imo shochu and water a day ahead and it rounds out

  • Black tea (Earl Grey)

    Good match

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

    • Black tea's tannin sits well with aged notes
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Cold-brewed Earl Grey brings bergamot; plain black tea brings tannin. For the aged and brown-sugar bottles.

  • Jasmine tea

    Good match

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

    • Perfumed tea on a clean bottle
    • 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.

  • Oolong tea

    Good match

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

    • Oolong's toast meets sweet potato's roast
    • 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.

  • 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.

    • Citrus acid is what cuts sweet potato's weight, which is why Kagoshima bars pour imo shochu with grapefruit and yuzu before anything else.
    • On an already sweet bottle it turns to grapefruit candy
    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.

  • Citric and malic acid solution

    Good match

    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.

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • A clean bottle has nowhere to hide, so acid reads as brightness rather than as a correction

  • Pineapple

    Good match

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

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Fresh juice, or grilled wedges for a smokier drink. The awamori fruit.

  • Ume (Japanese plum)

    Good match

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

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Salt-plum and imo shochu in hot water is a Kagoshima winter

  • Lemon soda (ramune, Sanpellegrino)

    Good match

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

    • The distilleries themselves now sell imo shochu as a highball. Soda lifts the aroma off the glass instead of burying it.
    • Sweet soda and aged notes argue
    • Carbonation carries aroma up out of the glass, so a highball shows an aromatic bottle off rather than diluting the point of it.
    • Sweet citrus bubbles on a clean bottle

  • Tonic water

    Good match

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

    • The distilleries themselves now sell imo shochu as a highball. Soda lifts the aroma off the glass instead of burying it.
    • Tonic's sweetness fights aged notes
    • Carbonation carries aroma up out of the glass, so a highball shows an aromatic bottle off rather than diluting the point of it.
    • Clean bottle and tonic is a gin and tonic without the juniper

  • Ginger ale

    Good match

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

    • The distilleries themselves now sell imo shochu as a highball. Soda lifts the aroma off the glass instead of burying it.
    • Carbonation carries aroma up out of the glass, so a highball shows an aromatic bottle off rather than diluting the point of it.

  • 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.

    • Green tea and oolong are how shochu is drunk with dinner across Kyushu. Tea's tannin meets the earth without covering it.
    • Bitter tea and a sweet bottle argue
    • Cold-brewed sencha on a clean bottle is quiet and grown-up
    • Green tea softens the earth in imo shochu without hiding it

  • 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 distilleries themselves now sell imo shochu as a highball. Soda lifts the aroma off the glass instead of burying it.
    • Carbonation carries aroma up out of the glass, so a highball shows an aromatic bottle off rather than diluting the point of it.

  • Cardamom

    Good match

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

    • 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.

  • Gentian (Suze-style)

    Good match

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

    • Amaro and gentian answer the earth with more earth, which is why a split-base imo drink reads as intentional rather than odd.
    • A clean bottle and gentian is a white negroni
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.

  • 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 sweet potato are the same autumn kitchen. Heat gives an earthy bottle a pulse.
    • Ginger and sweet potato is a Japanese autumn kitchen
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.

  • 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.

    • Hot water is the Kagoshima serve and it earns its reputation: heat pulls the earth and the sweetness up out of the glass. Cold water does the opposite and lengthens it without changing its shape.
    • Oyuwari: hot water first, then shochu, six to four. Imo shochu opens up in warmth

  • Kumquat

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

  • Star anise

    Good match

    One star, steeped, for the dark bottles.

    • Anise and aged notes are a winter cabinet
    • 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.

  • Hibiscus

    Good match

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

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • Only for the lychee-scented bottles. On a heavy, roasted imo the flowers simply disappear.

  • Hojicha

    Good match

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

    • This bottle's aroma is the reason to own it, and a roasted or smoky mixer covers exactly that.
    • Hojicha and imo shochu: a roasted pair
    • Roasted tea and aged notes are a fireside
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.

  • Matcha

    Good match

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

    • 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.

  • Mugicha (barley tea)

    Good match

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

    • This bottle's aroma is the reason to own it, and a roasted or smoky mixer covers exactly that.
    • Mugicha softens imo shochu's earth into something you drink all evening
    • Unsweetened, cold, and the most summer thing in Japan
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.

  • 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
    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
    • 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.

  • Cranberry

    Good match

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

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.

  • Raspberry

    Good match

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

    • An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
    • There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.

  • 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 distilleries themselves now sell imo shochu as a highball. Soda lifts the aroma off the glass instead of burying it.
    • An aged bottle is the one you would not lengthen with a beer substitute
    • Carbonation carries aroma up out of the glass, so a highball shows an aromatic bottle off rather than diluting the point of it.
    • It was built around neutral shochu, and that is still where it fits best

  • Amazake (sweet koji rice)

    Good match

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

    • Koji meets koji
    • Amazake softens imo shochu into a winter dessert
    • The non-alcoholic koji drink, sweet from rice starch alone. Blend with the spirit and ice; it is a shochu smoothie.

  • Osmanthus (kinmokusei)

    Good match

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

    • Kinmokusei blooms when the new imo shochu is released, same season
    • Honeyed flower on honeyed age
    • Only for the lychee-scented bottles. On a heavy, roasted imo the flowers simply disappear.

  • Pickled ginger (gari)

    Good match

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

    • Sweet-sour ginger on a clean bottle
    • A spoon of the brine, and a slice as garnish. Sweet, sour and hot at once.

  • Sea salt

    Good match

    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 salt rim on an imo shochu drink is a Kagoshima bar trick
    • 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.

  • Shiitake

    Good match

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

  • Umeboshi

    Good match

    One salted plum, crushed with a spoon in the glass. Salty, sour, savory.

    • Umeboshi in hot shochu is a Kagoshima winter, and salt is the fastest way to make an earthy bottle taste like more of itself.
    • Imo shochu, hot water, umeboshi: a Kagoshima winter

  • 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.

  • 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.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Campari, Aperol, or a Japanese bitter like Kina. Shochu is low enough in proof to make an aperitivo you can actually have two of.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Fernet

    Good match

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

    • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Togarashi (chili)

    Good match

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

    • 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.

  • Tonic syrup (cinchona concentrate)

    Good match

    Jack Rudy's Extra Bitter, made with real cinchona bark, or Small Hand Foods'. Half a teaspoon and soda, set to the bottle in front of you rather than to a tonic maker's idea of a spirit.

    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Jack Rudy's Extra Bitter, made with real cinchona bark, or Small Hand Foods'. Half a teaspoon and soda, set to the bottle in front of you rather than to a tonic maker's idea of a spirit.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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

  • Kombucha

    Good match

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

    • The distilleries themselves now sell imo shochu as a highball. Soda lifts the aroma off the glass instead of burying it.
    • No
    • Carbonation carries aroma up out of the glass, so a highball shows an aromatic bottle off rather than diluting the point of it.

  • Jasmine

    Good match

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

    • Jasmine against imo shochu's floral side is a real Kagoshima cocktail idea
    • Only for the lychee-scented bottles. On a heavy, roasted imo the flowers simply disappear.

  • Wasabi

    Worth trying

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

    • Wasabi and sweetness do not agree
    • A tiny amount on a clean bottle reads as a green, savory heat
    • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

    Worth trying

    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

  • Basil

    Worth trying

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

    • Basil on a clean bottle reads like a gin smash

  • Blackberry

    Worth trying

    Late summer fruit with a savory edge. For the deeper bottles.

    • Blackberry and imo shochu is a bramble with a Kyushu accent

  • 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

  • Coconut

    Worth trying

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

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

  • Cucumber

    Worth trying

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

    • Cucumber on a clean bottle is the most refreshing thing on this list

  • Fig

    Worth trying

    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

  • Fino sherry

    Worth trying

    Fino or manzanilla. Savory, salty, bone dry.

    • Oxidative on oxidative

  • Green tea liqueur

    Worth trying

    Sweeter and rounder than brewing your own matcha, and it dissolves properly, which matcha powder in a cold drink does not.

    • A clean bottle lets the tea bitterness read as bitterness rather than mud

  • 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 single leaf on a clean bottle changes the whole glass

  • Kombu

    Worth trying

    A small piece steeped in the bottle overnight. Savory depth without salt.

    • A small piece steeped in the bottle overnight. Savory depth without salt.

  • 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.

    • Lemongrass perfume shows on a clean bottle

  • 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.

    • The newer imo shochu are bred for lychee and tropical aromatics, so tropical fruit is agreeing with the bottle rather than fighting it.

  • 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.

    • A clean bottle is the right blank page for something this perfumed

  • Makrut lime leaf

    Worth trying

    Torn leaves steeped briefly. Perfumed citrus without juice.

    • Intense citrus perfume on a clean bottle

  • Melon liqueur

    Worth trying

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

    • Sweet enough to need a clean base under it

  • Miso

    Worth trying

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

    • This bottle's aroma is the reason to own it, and a roasted or smoky mixer covers exactly that.
    • Miso is koji too; the bottle and the paste share a mold
    • Miso and roasted sweet potato is a Kagoshima side dish
    • White miso whisked into a syrup, a small spoon per drink. Salty, sweet and savory at once.

  • Orange liqueur

    Worth trying

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

    • Aged bottles and orange peel liqueur

  • Pu-erh tea

    Worth trying

    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.

    • Earth and age bury a bottle whose whole quality is that it is clean
    • 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.

  • Sake (in a shochu drink)

    Worth trying

    A dry junmai as the lengthener for rice shochu, one to two. Low proof, all rice.

    • Koji meets koji

  • Shiso

    Worth trying

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

    • Shiso on a clean bottle is the most Japanese drink you can build

  • Shiso liqueur

    Worth trying

    Usually red shiso, so it comes out pink. Sharper and more herbal than it looks, and a little goes a long way.

    • The herb needs a quiet base or it just tastes like the herb

  • Toasted sesame

    Worth trying

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

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

  • Umeshu

    Worth trying

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

    • Umeshu rounds imo shochu for a first-timer

  • Coffee (cold brew)

    Worth trying

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

    • This bottle's aroma is the reason to own it, and a roasted or smoky mixer covers exactly that.
    • There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
    • Cold brew, unsweetened. For barley, brown-sugar, cask-aged and awamori bottles; it will bury a daiginjo.

  • Genmaicha

    Worth trying

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

    • This bottle's aroma is the reason to own it, and a roasted or smoky mixer covers exactly that.
    • 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.

  • Maple syrup

    Worth trying

    Dark, in small amounts, for the cask and sweet-potato bottles.

    • This bottle brings its own sweetness. More sugar is the most common way a drink built on it goes wrong.
    • Maple on sweet potato
    • Maple and aged, caramel notes

  • Sobacha (roasted buckwheat tea)

    Worth trying

    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.

    • This bottle's aroma is the reason to own it, and a roasted or smoky mixer covers exactly that.
    • 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.

  • Orange

    Worth trying

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

  • Vanilla

    Worth trying

    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.
    • 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.

  • Ginger liqueur

    Worth trying

    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.

    • Sugar and heat on a bottle whose whole quality is that it is clean
    • Ginger and sweet potato is a winter kitchen pairing before it is a bar one
    • Warm spice against caramel, without the sugar a ginger beer brings

  • Olive brine

    Worth trying

    A bar spoon, no more. Salt, and the savory note that comes with it.

    • Brine and sweetness do not agree
    • A clean bottle can take a splash of brine
    • A bar spoon, no more. Salt, and the savory note that comes with it.

  • Chamomile

    Worth trying

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

    • Only for the lychee-scented bottles. On a heavy, roasted imo the flowers simply disappear.

  • Cream

    Worth trying

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

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

  • Egg white

    Worth trying

    One white, dry-shaken. Texture without flavor.

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

  • Elderflower

    Worth trying

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

    • Only for the lychee-scented bottles. On a heavy, roasted imo the flowers simply disappear.

  • Milk

    Worth trying

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

    • Milk and Calpis do soften imo shochu, and that is exactly the point for someone who thinks they dislike it. It is a gateway, not a destination.

  • 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.

  • Rose

    Worth trying

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

    • Only for the lychee-scented bottles. On a heavy, roasted imo the flowers simply disappear.

  • Sakura (cherry blossom)

    Worth trying

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

    • Only for the lychee-scented bottles. On a heavy, roasted imo the flowers simply disappear.

  • Soy milk (tonyu)

    Worth trying

    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.

    • 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.

Ways to serve it

  • On the rocks
  • Mizuwari (with water)

Sweet potato shochu is the one people are told they have to drink with hot water. Hot water is genuinely good, and it is also the hardest first sip to sell. Start it long and cold with soda and a wedge of grapefruit, and come back to the hot water once you like the spirit.

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

  • thesgshochu.com

    Satsuma Libre

    Written for a similar bottle

    Written for SG Shochu IMO, also a sweet potato shochu. This bottle is lighter, 25% against 38%, so cut the mixer back or it will disappear.

    • the sg shochu imo 45ml
    • lime wedge 1/8
    • cola
    • salt rim

    Built in the glass.

    Full method at thesgshochu.com →

  • Nankai Shochu · Jonathan Tse, Doe Bar

    Hojicha Cocktail

    Written for a similar bottle

    Written for Nankai Imo Black, also a sweet potato shochu. We have this one as the earthier of the two, which is what will move most in the glass.

    • 2 oz Nankai Imo Black
    • 1 oz hojicha cold brew
    • 1 oz toasted oat orgeat
    • For the cold brew: 350 ml cold water, 5 g hojicha tea
    • For the orgeat: 250 ml oat milk, 100 g cane sugar, 100 g brown sugar, 5 g hojicha powder, 25 g whole oats

    Shaken.

    Full method at Nankai Shochu →

  • thesgshochu.com

    Boulevardier

    Written for a similar bottle

    Written for SG Shochu IMO, also a sweet potato shochu. This bottle is lighter, 25% against 38%, so cut the mixer back or it will disappear.

    • the sg shochu imo 25ml
    • sweet vermouth 20ml
    • campari 15ml

    Built in the glass.

    Full method at thesgshochu.com →

  • Umami Mart blog

    Oolong-Hai (Shochu Iced Tea)

    Written for sweet potato 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 →

  • Tokyo Weekender

    Hana Shigure

    Written for Daiyame

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

    • daiyame (imo shochu) 30ml
    • aphrodite sakura 15ml
    • bols parfait amour 5ml
    • 1883 maison routin lemon syrup 10ml
    • hinoki bitters 2 dashes
    • narutomaki beet slice to garnish
    • lime peel to garnish
    Full method at Tokyo Weekender →

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 imo shochu.