Shochu that goes with amaretto
Wine, liqueur and spirits
These are bottles to mix amaretto into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
A bar spoon, not an ounce. It is very sweet, and its job here is the almond smell rather than the sugar.
Best bottles for amaretto
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Almond and vanilla is marzipan, and the bottle is already halfway there
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
Almond and oak is the whole idea behind a nut liqueur in a barrel drink
buckwheat, cask, aged
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
Almond and cherry are the same stone fruit, which is where amaretto's flavour comes from in the first place
It lands on a nutty note the bottle already has
Marzipan against caramel, which is a dessert people already eat
Grouped by what the shochu is made from, because that is the level the reasoning works at: what this does to an imo shochu is a fact about imo shochu rather than about one bottle. Within each style the strongest matches come first, and bottles we pour are marked rather than promoted. The scores are the same engine that recommends a mixer from a bottle, run the other way round, but the labels are not: a bottle page badges at most twelve strong matches and at most three per family, so that the twelve describe that bottle rather than the same citrus and soda every time. Here there is no cap, so a pairing badged strong on this page can read as a good match on the bottle's own.
Kome shochu
Rice shochu stirred with vermouth is a martini with koji where the juniper was. The strength depends on the bottle, not on the swap. Most shochu is 25 and lands well under a gin martini. The 40 percent bottles land beside one.
Almond and oak is the whole idea behind a nut liqueur in a barrel drink
Almond and vanilla is marzipan, and the bottle is already halfway there
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
Marzipan against caramel, which is a dessert people already eat
Show the other 62 amaretto matches
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, cask, aged
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, light-bodied, clean
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
A bar spoon, not an ounce. It is very sweet, and its job here is the almond smell rather than the sugar.
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, smooth, rich
Amaretto's sweetness dulls a bright, high-acid bottle
Mugi shochu
Almond and vanilla is marzipan, and the bottle is already halfway there
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
Almond and oak is the whole idea behind a nut liqueur in a barrel drink
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
Show the other 84 amaretto matches
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, cask, aged
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, dry, cask, aged
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
Marzipan against caramel, which is a dessert people already eat
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
It lands on a nutty note the bottle already has
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
Almond and cherry are the same stone fruit, which is where amaretto's flavour comes from in the first place
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, toast, cereal, rich
barley, soft, cask, aged
barley, cask, aged
Amaretto's sweetness dulls a bright, high-acid bottle
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
barley, crisp, clean
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, pear, soft, spice
barley, rich, crisp
barley, soft, clean
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, rice, umami
barley, rice, umami
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, roasted grain
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, umami, light-bodied
barley, smooth, dry
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
barley, banana, toast
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, sweet, clean
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, melon, banana, floral
Awamori
Awamori has enough character to be the base of a cocktail, not the neutral part of one. So an orange liqueur or a mezcal sits beside it instead of covering it.
Almond and oak is the whole idea behind a nut liqueur in a barrel drink
Almond and cherry are the same stone fruit, which is where amaretto's flavour comes from in the first place
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
Almond and vanilla is marzipan, and the bottle is already halfway there
Show the other 101 amaretto matches
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
It lands on a nutty note the bottle already has
Marzipan against caramel, which is a dessert people already eat
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, sweet, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, soft, aged
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, sweet, crisp, smooth
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, soft, clean
A bar spoon, not an ounce. It is very sweet, and its job here is the almond smell rather than the sugar.
rich, smooth, clean, soft
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, soft, smooth
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
Amaretto's sweetness dulls a bright, high-acid bottle
rice, clean, bright, aged
Soba shochu
Almond and oak is the whole idea behind a nut liqueur in a barrel drink
It lands on a nutty note the bottle already has
Marzipan against caramel, which is a dessert people already eat
Almond and vanilla is marzipan, and the bottle is already halfway there
Soba and almond share a toasted, nutty middle
Show the other 4 amaretto matches
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Almond and vanilla is marzipan, and the bottle is already halfway there
Almond and oak is the whole idea behind a nut liqueur in a barrel drink
smooth, rich, full-bodied, sweet
Nut on nut, and almond is the sweeter of the two so it does the sweetening
Marzipan against caramel, which is a dessert people already eat
Show the other 9 amaretto matches
smooth, rich, aged
chestnut, barley, fruity, rich
chestnut, floral, roasted grain, sweet
Imo shochu
Nut on nut, and almond is the sweeter of the two so it does the sweetening
Almond and vanilla is marzipan, and the bottle is already halfway there
Almond and oak is the whole idea behind a nut liqueur in a barrel drink
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
It lands on a nutty note the bottle already has
Show the other 20 amaretto matches
Marzipan against caramel, which is a dessert people already eat
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, smooth, aged
sweet potato, milky, soft, aged
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, whisky-like, cask
sweet potato, light-bodied, dry, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
Kokuto shochu
Almond and vanilla is marzipan, and the bottle is already halfway there
Almond and oak is the whole idea behind a nut liqueur in a barrel drink
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
It lands on a nutty note the bottle already has
Show the other 6 amaretto matches
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
Marzipan against caramel, which is a dessert people already eat
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
It lands on a nutty note the bottle already has