Shochu that goes with falernum
Wine, liqueur and spirits
These are bottles to mix falernum into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
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.
Clove and pineapple is the tiki instinct, and one of the two is already in the bottle
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
The bottle is already nutty, and this puts more of that in the glass.
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
rice, citrus, aged
rice, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
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.
Clove and pineapple is the tiki instinct, and one of the two is already in the bottle
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
Show the other 62 falernum matches
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, light-bodied, clean
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.
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, floral, smooth, soft
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, rich, bright
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, rich
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
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.
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
Show the other 102 falernum matches
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
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.
rich, smooth, clean, soft
floral, clean, sharp, aged
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
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, sherry-like, aged
rice, aged
rice, soft, smooth
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, smooth, soft, clean
It sweetens, and a bottle sold on being dry loses the thing it was sold on
Mugi shochu
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
barley, citrus, melon, banana
The bottle is already nutty, and this puts more of that in the glass.
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
Clove and pineapple is the tiki instinct, and one of the two is already in the bottle
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
Show the other 75 falernum matches
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, crisp, clean
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, pear, soft, spice
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, rich, crisp
barley, soft, clean
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, rice, umami
barley, rice, umami
barley, earthy, clean, bright
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, roasted grain
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, melon, banana, floral
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, umami, light-bodied
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
barley, banana, toast
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, cask, aged
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, toast, cereal, rich
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, sweet, clean
barley, banana, berry, bread
It sweetens, and a bottle sold on being dry loses the thing it was sold on
Kokuto shochu
A cane liqueur from a cane island, poured onto a cane spirit
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
Show the other 15 falernum matches
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, cask, aged
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
It sweetens, and a bottle sold on being dry loses the thing it was sold on
Soba shochu
The bottle is already nutty, and this puts more of that in the glass.
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
buckwheat, barley, rice
Show the other 3 falernum matches
buckwheat, cask, aged
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Citrus is in this bottle itself, not just on its nose, so this adds more of the same rather than a second flavour.
The bottle is already nutty, and this puts more of that in the glass.
Imo shochu
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
Clove and pineapple is the tiki instinct, and one of the two is already in the bottle
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Ginger is in this bottle itself, not just on its nose, so this adds more of the same rather than a second flavour.
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
Citrus is in this bottle itself, not just on its nose, so this adds more of the same rather than a second flavour.