Shochu that goes with aromatic bitters
Bitter and aperitivo
These are bottles to mix aromatic bitters into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Angostura or a Japanese aromatic. Two dashes.
Best bottles for aromatic bitters
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Bitters, sugar, a cask-aged spirit: an old fashioned
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
kokuto, cask, aged
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
Two dashes wake up an aged bottle
sweet potato, aged
rice, cask, aged
rice, whisky-like, cask, aged
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.
Imo shochu
A bitter answers the earth with more earth, amaro and gentian most of all. A split-base imo drink then reads as intentional rather than odd.
Bitters, sugar, a cask-aged spirit: an old fashioned
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
Two dashes wake up an aged bottle
Show the other 155 aromatic bitters matches
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, fruity, silky, smooth
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
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, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, whisky-like, cask
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, rich, soft, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, nutty, umami
sweet potato, soft, smooth, aged
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
Bitters stomp on perfume
sweet potato, light-bodied, dry, aged
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
Bitters give imo shochu a stirred-drink shape
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
sweet potato, apple, soft, rich
sweet potato, soft, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, light-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, tea, rich
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, yogurt, creamy texture
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, vanilla, creamy texture, bright
sweet potato, rich, purple sweet potato
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, tea, vanilla, mushroom
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, soft, tea
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, fruity, soft, sweet
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft, light-bodied
sweet potato, fruity, soft
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, berry, soft, sweet
sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, roasted grain
sweet potato, smooth, toast
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, sweet, soft
sweet potato, earthy
sweet potato, spice, sweet
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, coffee, earthy, pepper
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, funky
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, fruity
sweet potato, sweet, clean, fruity
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, fruity, bright
sweet potato, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, roasted grain, sweet
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, white peach, grape, berry
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
sweet potato, crisp
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, crisp, sweet
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, long finish
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
sweet potato, floral, soft, maple
sweet potato, purple sweet potato, berry, yogurt
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
Awamori
Aged kusu is intense enough to meet amaro without either one winning.
Bitters, sugar, a cask-aged spirit: an old fashioned
rice, whisky-like, cask, aged
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
Two dashes wake up an aged bottle
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
Show the other 100 aromatic bitters matches
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, aged
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, soft, aged
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, smooth, maple, umami
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, aged
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, chocolate, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
rice, clean, sharp, aged
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rice, smooth, soft, clean
rice, nutty, dry, aged
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, soft, smooth
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
Angostura or a Japanese aromatic. Two dashes.
rice, clean, sweet
rice, clean, smooth
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
Kokuto shochu
Brown sugar carries bitterness the way a boulevardier carries whiskey. Amaro and red bitter both land.
Bitters, sugar, a cask-aged spirit: an old fashioned
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
Show the other 21 aromatic bitters matches
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
Kome shochu
A light rice spirit can be bullied by amaro. Keep the bitter under a quarter ounce or pick a heavier bottle.
Bitters, sugar, a cask-aged spirit: an old fashioned
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, smooth, aged, cask
Show the other 51 aromatic bitters matches
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
Two dashes wake up an aged bottle
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, smooth, aged
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, aged
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
Bitters stomp on perfume
Angostura or a Japanese aromatic. Two dashes.
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, sweet, clean, smooth
rice, chocolate, sweet
rice, rich, bright
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Bitters, sugar, a cask-aged spirit: an old fashioned
smooth, rich, cask, aged
barley, smooth, honey, vanilla
Two dashes wake up an aged bottle
Show the other 4 aromatic bitters matches
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.
Mugi shochu
Bitters, sugar, a cask-aged spirit: an old fashioned
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, rich, cask, aged
Show the other 14 aromatic bitters matches
Two dashes wake up an aged bottle
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, cask, aged
barley, soft, cask, aged
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, cask, aged
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
A strong bitter will argue with the botanical rather than support it. Keep it to a dash.
Angostura or a Japanese aromatic. Two dashes.
tropical fruit, rich
shiso, red shiso
Show the other 1 aromatic bitters matches
Soba shochu
Bitters, sugar, a cask-aged spirit: an old fashioned
Two dashes wake up an aged bottle