Shochu that goes with hibiscus
Flowers
These are bottles to mix hibiscus into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Cold-brewed hibiscus tea: sour, cranberry-red and floral. Acid and color in one pour.
Best bottles for hibiscus
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
The purple stays behind in the mash rather than coming over the still, so the flower is where any colour in the glass comes from, and its acid brightens the fruit instead of fighting it
Tropical flower with tropical fruit
A berry aroma with no acid under it. Hibiscus brings the acid, and the colour comes with it
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, purple sweet potato, berry, yogurt
sweet potato, white peach, grape, berry
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
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
Only for the lychee-scented bottles. On a heavy, roasted imo the flowers simply disappear.
The purple stays behind in the mash rather than coming over the still, so the flower is where any colour in the glass comes from, and its acid brightens the fruit instead of fighting it
Tropical flower with tropical fruit
A berry aroma with no acid under it. Hibiscus brings the acid, and the colour comes with it
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, purple sweet potato, berry, yogurt
Show the other 155 hibiscus matches
sweet potato, white peach, grape, berry
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, umami
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
sweet potato, fruity, soft, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft, light-bodied
sweet potato, roasted grain
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, funky
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, roasted grain, sweet
sweet potato, vanilla, creamy texture, bright
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, tea, vanilla, mushroom
sweet potato, rich, soft, aged
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, crisp, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, nutty, umami
sweet potato, soft, smooth, aged
sweet potato, floral, soft, maple
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, coffee, earthy, pepper
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, sweet, clean, fruity
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
sweet potato, earthy
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
The sweetness here is aroma rather than sugar, because sugar does not come over a still. Acid is what keeps the impression from turning cloying.
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, soft, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, yogurt, creamy texture
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, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, rich, purple sweet potato
Fruit without acid goes flat fast. A squeeze of something sour is what keeps a fruity bottle tasting fresh instead of sweet.
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, soft, tea
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, aged
sweet potato, fruity, soft
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
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, light-bodied, dry, aged
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, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
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, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
Kome shochu
The cleanest of the shochu bases, so a flower actually reads instead of being swallowed.
Its acid is what rice bottles need
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, floral, smooth, soft
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
Show the other 64 hibiscus matches
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, rich, bright
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
rice, light-bodied, clean
Awamori
Hibiscus is an Okinawan flower and this is an Okinawan spirit, and the flower supplies the acid the still leaves behind in the mash.
Its acid is what rice bottles need
rice, nutty, dry, aged
Tropical flower with tropical fruit
An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
Show the other 102 hibiscus matches
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
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, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
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, 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, smooth, soft, clean
rich, smooth, clean, soft
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
Soba shochu
The nutty base will swallow a delicate flower unless the drink is otherwise very plain.
Its acid is what rice bottles need
An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
buckwheat, smooth, aged
Show the other 4 hibiscus matches
buckwheat, cask, aged
buckwheat, nutty, earthy, vanilla
Kokuto shochu
Tropical flower with tropical fruit
The sweetness here is aroma rather than sugar, because sugar does not come over a still. Acid is what keeps the impression from turning cloying.
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
Show the other 2 hibiscus matches
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
Mugi shochu
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
The sweetness here is aroma rather than sugar, because sugar does not come over a still. Acid is what keeps the impression from turning cloying.
Tropical flower with tropical fruit
Its acid is what rice bottles need
barley, rice, umami
A berry aroma with no acid under it. Hibiscus brings the acid, and the colour comes with it
Show the other 2 hibiscus matches
Fruit without acid goes flat fast. A squeeze of something sour is what keeps a fruity bottle tasting fresh instead of sweet.
barley, citrus, melon, banana
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
Tropical flower with tropical fruit
Its acid is what rice bottles need
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
floral, fruity, sweet, plum
chestnut, floral, roasted grain, sweet
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Its acid is what rice bottles need