Shochu that goes with goya (bitter melon)
Melon, cucumber and garden
These are bottles to mix goya (bitter melon) into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Two slices from any Asian grocery, seeds out. It keeps getting more bitter the longer it sits, so taste as you go and pull the slices when it is where you want it.
Best bottles for goya (bitter melon)
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Bitterness that answers earth without adding any sweetness to it
buckwheat, savory, nutty, earthy
barley, earthy, mineral, pepper
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
The Okinawa brewers' association publishes a goya cocktail of its own, so this is not an idea from outside
barley, earthy, clean, bright
Two deseeded slices, and the drink stays green and cucumber-like
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, melon, banana, floral
barley, banana, berry, bread
caramel, smoky, rich, earthy
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.
Mugi shochu
A clean barley highball takes a garden note without losing its own grain under it.
Bitterness that answers earth without adding any sweetness to it
barley, earthy, mineral, pepper
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
The Okinawa brewers' association publishes a goya cocktail of its own, so this is not an idea from outside
barley, earthy, clean, bright
Show the other 92 goya (bitter melon) matches
Two deseeded slices, and the drink stays green and cucumber-like
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, melon, banana, floral
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, clean, off-dry, smooth
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, crisp, clean
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, pear, soft, spice
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, rich, crisp
barley, soft, clean
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, smooth
barley, rich, clean
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, soft, sweet
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, light-bodied
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, rice, umami
barley, rice, umami
barley, fruity, soft
barley, roasted grain
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, umami, aged
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, umami, light-bodied
barley, smooth, dry
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, soft, bright
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
barley, banana, toast
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, cask, aged
barley, vanilla, cask
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, soft, cask, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, toast, cereal, rich
barley, rich
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, sweet, clean
barley, silky, smooth
barley, clean, sharp
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, cask, aged
barley, dry, cask, aged
Kome shochu
A light rice spirit takes a green, quiet garden note. Anything savoury leads instead of following.
rice, floral, ginjo-like, clean
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
Show the other 64 goya (bitter melon) matches
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, smooth, aged
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, floral, aged
rice, floral, smooth, soft
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, smooth, full-bodied, cask
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, umami, rich, aged
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, sweet, clean, smooth
rice, chocolate, sweet
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, rich, bright
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
rice, light-bodied, clean
Imo shochu
Bitterness that answers earth without adding any sweetness to it
sweet potato, earthy
sweet potato, coffee, earthy, pepper
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
Two deseeded slices, and the drink stays green and cucumber-like
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
Show the other 1 goya (bitter melon) matches
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
Awamori
Bitterness that answers earth without adding any sweetness to it
The Okinawa brewers' association publishes a goya cocktail of its own, so this is not an idea from outside
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
Soba shochu
Bitterness that answers earth without adding any sweetness to it
buckwheat, nutty, earthy, vanilla
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
The Okinawa brewers' association publishes a goya cocktail of its own, so this is not an idea from outside
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
The Okinawa brewers' association publishes a goya cocktail of its own, so this is not an idea from outside