Shochu that goes with crème de cassis
Wine, liqueur and spirits
These are bottles to mix crème de cassis 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. Dark fruit over roasted tea, with the shochu keeping it from reading as squash.
Best bottles for crème de cassis
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Dark berry under cherry is what a kirsch drink does, and it deepens rather than sweetens
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
A kir built on rice shochu instead of white wine, so drier and a good deal stronger
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, aged
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, ginjo-like
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.
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.
Dark berry under cherry is what a kirsch drink does, and it deepens rather than sweetens
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
A kir built on rice shochu instead of white wine, so drier and a good deal stronger
Show the other 99 crème de cassis matches
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, cask, aged
rice, whisky-like, cask, aged
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, aged
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, clean, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, clean, smooth
rice, soft, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, sweet, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, soft, aged
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, sweet, crisp, smooth
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, smooth, maple, umami
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, soft, smooth
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, chocolate, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rice, smooth, soft, clean
rice, nutty, dry, aged
A bar spoon. Dark fruit over roasted tea, with the shochu keeping it from reading as squash.
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
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.
A kir built on rice shochu instead of white wine, so drier and a good deal stronger
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
Show the other 64 crème de cassis matches
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, floral, smooth, soft
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, sweet, clean, smooth
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, rich, bright
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, floral, ginjo-like, clean
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, light-bodied, clean
Mugi shochu
Cassis puts dark fruit over the tea's roast, and the shochu keeps it dry underneath
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
Show the other 16 crème de cassis matches
barley, light-bodied
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, umami, light-bodied
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, fruity, light-bodied
A kir built on rice shochu instead of white wine, so drier and a good deal stronger
barley, rice, umami
Dark berry under cherry is what a kirsch drink does, and it deepens rather than sweetens
Blackcurrant on a berry bottle is more of the same thing, and it brings the sweetness the bottle lacks
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Cassis puts dark fruit over the tea's roast, and the shochu keeps it dry underneath
barley, smooth, honey, vanilla
chestnut, barley, fruity, rich
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Cassis puts dark fruit over the tea's roast, and the shochu keeps it dry underneath
A kir built on rice shochu instead of white wine, so drier and a good deal stronger
Soba shochu
A kir built on rice shochu instead of white wine, so drier and a good deal stronger