Shochu that goes with grapefruit
Citrus
These are bottles to mix grapefruit into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Bitter, bright and forgiving. Ruby or white both work; white is drier. The grapefruit sour is a real bar order in Japan, not a novelty.
Best bottles for grapefruit
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Citrus acid cuts sweet potato's weight. That's why Kagoshima bars reach for grapefruit and yuzu before anything else.
sweet potato, funky
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, roasted grain
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato
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.
Imo shochu
Citrus acid cuts sweet potato's weight. That's why Kagoshima bars reach for grapefruit and yuzu before anything else.
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, funky
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
Show the other 155 grapefruit matches
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, roasted grain
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, vanilla, creamy texture, bright
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, tea, vanilla, mushroom
sweet potato, rich, soft, aged
sweet potato, smooth, nutty, umami
sweet potato, soft, smooth, aged
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, coffee, earthy, pepper
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
sweet potato, floral, soft, maple
sweet potato, white peach, grape, berry
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
sweet potato, earthy
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, yogurt, creamy texture
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
sweet potato, light-bodied, dry, aged
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
lychee, grape, jasmine, rich
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, fruity, soft, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft, light-bodied
sweet potato, berry, soft, sweet
sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, roasted grain, sweet
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, crisp, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
sweet potato, purple sweet potato, berry, yogurt
sweet potato, soft, tea
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
sweet potato, smooth, aged
sweet potato, fruity, soft
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, tea, rich
sweet potato, milky, soft, aged
sweet potato, smooth, toast
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, whisky-like, cask
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, fruity
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, smooth, fruity, bright
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, rich, purple sweet potato
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, crisp
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, soft, sweet
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, spice, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, clean, fruity
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, long finish
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
Mugi shochu
A clean mugi does under citrus what a neutral shochu does, with a little more grain left behind it.
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, earthy, mineral, pepper
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, melon, banana, floral
Show the other 94 grapefruit matches
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
barley, dry, cask, aged
barley, citrus, melon, banana
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, 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, smooth
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, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, umami, light-bodied
barley, soft, bright
barley, banana, toast
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, cask, aged
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
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, fruity, light-bodied
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, cask, aged
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, sesame, grassy, chocolate
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, savory, clean
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
Awamori
Awamori carries citrus and tropical aromatics of its own, out of an all-koji ferment rather than out of anything added. Citrus meets what is already there instead of introducing it.
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
rice, nutty, dry, aged
caramel, smoky, rich, earthy
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
rice, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
Show the other 80 grapefruit matches
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
floral, clean, sharp, aged
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rich, smooth, clean, soft
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, soft, aged
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, smooth, soft, aged
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, soft, smooth
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, soft, clean
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
Kome shochu
Rice sweetness wants acid, and citrus is the most direct way to give it some.
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, floral, ginjo-like, clean
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
Show the other 58 grapefruit matches
rice, floral, smooth, soft
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, rich, bright
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, rich
rice, light-bodied, clean
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
Kokuto shochu
Kokuto shochu is a cane spirit at two thirds the proof, and citrus acid is what keeps its sugar moving.
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
Show the other 21 grapefruit matches
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, cask, aged
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Neutral by design, so the citrus does all of the flavour and the shochu does the length and the proof. This is the base a lemon sour is built on.
Grapefruit and imo shochu is a Kagoshima bar staple; the bitterness answers the earth
Barley shochu and grapefruit is the Kyushu sour after the lemon one
Bitter, bright and forgiving. Ruby or white both work; white is drier. The grapefruit sour is a real bar order in Japan, not a novelty.
Soba shochu
Buckwheat is nutty and low in acid, so citrus is doing structural work rather than adding a flavour.
Barley shochu and grapefruit is the Kyushu sour after the lemon one
An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
buckwheat, smooth, aged
Show the other 4 grapefruit matches
buckwheat, cask, aged
A dry bottle and grapefruit stay refreshing instead of turning sweet
On an already sweet bottle it turns to grapefruit candy
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Acid frames a single strong flavour and keeps it from turning syrupy.
Citrus is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
rice, citrus, crisp
Its bitter peel gives floral bottles a spine
sesame, nutty, toast, off-dry
Show the other 3 grapefruit matches
On an already sweet bottle it turns to grapefruit candy
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Barley shochu and grapefruit is the Kyushu sour after the lemon one
Bitter citrus is the standard way to frame a funky spirit, because the bitterness gives the funk a shape
Its bitter peel gives floral bottles a spine
barley, smooth, honey, vanilla
Grapefruit and imo shochu is a Kagoshima bar staple; the bitterness answers the earth