Shochu that goes with fernet
Bitter and aperitivo
These are bottles to mix fernet into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
A quarter ounce. Menthol and bitterness, for the darkest bottles.
Best bottles for fernet
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Fernet and cane spirit is an Argentine instinct
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, aged
kokuto, cask, aged
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, rich
The bottle already smells of mint, and this puts more of it in the glass.
Fernet and coffee
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
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.
Kokuto shochu
Brown sugar carries bitterness the way a boulevardier carries whiskey. Amaro and red bitter both land.
Fernet and cane spirit is an Argentine instinct
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
Show the other 21 fernet matches
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
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.
The bottle already smells of mint, and this puts more of it in the glass.
Fernet and coffee
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
Show the other 141 fernet matches
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
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, fruity, silky, smooth
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, apple, soft, rich
sweet potato, soft, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, light-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
sweet potato, smooth, aged
sweet potato, tea, rich
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, whisky-like, cask
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, yogurt, creamy texture
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, vanilla, creamy texture, bright
sweet potato, rich, purple sweet potato
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, tea, vanilla, mushroom
sweet potato, rich, soft, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, nutty, umami
sweet potato, soft, smooth, aged
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
A quarter ounce. Menthol and bitterness, for the darkest bottles.
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, 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, roasted grain
sweet potato, smooth, toast
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, earthy
sweet potato, spice, sweet
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
sweet potato, funky
sweet potato, light-bodied, dry, aged
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, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, long finish
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
Awamori
Aged kusu is intense enough to meet amaro without either one winning.
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, clean, smooth, aged
Show the other 98 fernet matches
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, sweet, crisp, smooth
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
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, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rice, nutty, dry, aged
A quarter ounce. Menthol and bitterness, for the darkest bottles.
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
Kome shochu
A light rice spirit can be bullied by amaro. Keep the bitter under a quarter ounce or pick a heavier bottle.
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
Show the other 50 fernet matches
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, smooth, rich
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
A quarter ounce. Menthol and bitterness, for the darkest bottles.
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, rich, bright
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
A strong bitter will argue with the botanical rather than support it. Keep it to a dash.
Fernet and coffee
A quarter ounce. Menthol and bitterness, for the darkest bottles.
tropical fruit, rich
Show the other 1 fernet matches
Mugi shochu
The bottle already smells of mint, and this puts more of it in the glass.
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
smooth, rich, full-bodied, sweet