Shochu that goes with hon-mirin
Wine, liqueur and spirits
Mikawa Mirin from Sumiya Bunjiro Shoten, made from glutinous rice, koji and shochu since 1911 with no added sugar. Not the sweetened seasoning sold as mirin-fu chomiryo, which is a different product.
Best bottles for hon-mirin
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Rice shochu stirred with vermouth is a martini at half the proof.
It adds body and savour where a sugar syrup would only add sugar
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
rice, umami, rich, sherry-like
rice, umami, rich, koji
rice, umami, rich, aged
caramel, smoky, rich, earthy
rice, aged, cask, smooth
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
The same rice and the same koji as the bottle, so it sweetens without bringing a foreign flavour
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 and anything poured at our bar come first. The ranking is the same engine that recommends a mixer from a bottle, run the other way round.
Kome shochu
Rice shochu stirred with vermouth is a martini at half the proof.
35 more, all of them in Kome shochu
Mugi shochu
2 more, all of them in Mugi shochu
Shiso, sesame, tea and other single-botanical shochu
3 more, all of them in Shiso, sesame, tea and other single-botanical shochu
Awamori
1 more, all of them in Awamori
Imo shochu
1 more, all of them in Imo shochu
Soba shochu
1 more, all of them in Soba shochu