Shochu that goes with falernum
Wine, liqueur and spirits
John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum, about twenty dollars. At 11 percent it behaves like a syrup, so it sweetens and thickens without raising the drink.
Best bottles for falernum
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Grain and roast are the same flavour arrived at twice, once by the still and once by the pan.
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
barley, roasted barley, melon, white peach
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, roasted barley, smooth, sweet
A cane liqueur from a cane island, poured onto a cane spirit
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
Rice shochu stirred with vermouth is a martini at half the proof.
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
kokuto, rum-like, rice, chocolate
buckwheat, savory, nutty, earthy
barley, earthy, mineral, pepper
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 and anything poured at our bar come first. The ranking is the same engine that recommends a mixer from a bottle, run the other way round.
Kome shochu
Rice shochu stirred with vermouth is a martini at half the proof.
27 more, all of them in Kome shochu
Mugi shochu
35 more, all of them in Mugi shochu
Kokuto shochu
7 more, all of them in Kokuto shochu
Soba shochu
1 more, all of them in Soba shochu