Shochu that goes with lemon
Citrus
These are bottles to mix lemon into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Juice and peel are two different tools. Fresh juice, never bottled, is the whole basis of the lemon sour and the quickest way to put acid into a distilled base. The peel expressed over the top gives the oil and no acid at all, which is what a sweet or roasted bottle usually wants instead.
Best bottles for lemon
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Lemon sharpens a crisp bottle further
Rice sweetness wants acid, and citrus is the most direct way to give it some.
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, crisp, sweet
An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
The lemon sour is an izakaya staple. Bars usually build it on a neutral shochu, and a clean mugi does the same job with a little more grain behind it.
barley, citrus, melon, banana
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
The lemon sour is the drink most izakaya sell more of than anything else on the list
Citrus is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
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.
Lemon sharpens a crisp bottle further
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, crisp, sweet
An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
Show the other 137 lemon matches
sweet potato, fruity, soft, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft, light-bodied
sweet potato, berry, soft, sweet
sweet potato, roasted grain
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, funky
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, tea, vanilla, mushroom
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
The peel, not the juice: expressed over the top, the oil lifts the roast without turning the drink into a sour
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
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, white peach, grape, berry
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, earthy
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
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, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, yogurt, creamy texture
sweet potato, floral, soft, maple
sweet potato, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, long finish
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, crisp
Fruit without acid goes flat fast. A squeeze of something sour is what keeps a fruity bottle tasting fresh instead of sweet.
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
Fresh lemon reads harsh against aged, caramel notes
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, rich, soft, aged
sweet potato, smooth, nutty, umami
sweet potato, soft, smooth, aged
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
Juice and peel are two different tools. Fresh juice, never bottled, is the whole basis of the lemon sour and the quickest way to put acid into a distilled base. The peel expressed over the top gives the oil and no acid at all, which is what a sweet or roasted bottle usually wants instead.
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
sweet potato, soft, tea
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, fruity, soft
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, tea, rich
sweet potato, smooth, toast
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, whisky-like, cask
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich
sweet potato, fruity
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, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, fruity, silky, smooth
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
Mugi shochu
The lemon sour is an izakaya staple. Bars usually build it on a neutral shochu, and a clean mugi does the same job with a little more grain behind it.
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, rich, crisp
Show the other 94 lemon matches
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, clean, off-dry, smooth
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, earthy, mineral, pepper
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, soft, clean
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, umami, savory, clean
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, roasted grain
barley, sesame, grassy, chocolate
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, melon, banana, floral
barley, smooth, dry
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
barley, banana, toast
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, cask, aged
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, toast, cereal, rich
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, cask, aged
barley, dry, cask, aged
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.
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
caramel, smoky, rich, earthy
Show the other 100 lemon matches
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, soft, smooth
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rice, nutty, dry, aged
rice, sweet, crisp, smooth
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rich, smooth, clean, soft
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, aged
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
Kome shochu
Rice sweetness wants acid, and citrus is the most direct way to give it some.
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, floral, ginjo-like, clean
Show the other 64 lemon matches
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, rich, bright
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, smooth, rich
rice, light-bodied, clean
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
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, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
Show the other 21 lemon matches
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
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.
citrus, bright, bitter, crisp
The peel, not the juice: expressed over the top, the oil lifts the roast without turning the drink into a sour
Red shiso needs acid: its pigment is an anthocyanin, which turns from dull to bright magenta the moment lemon goes in
Show the other 4 lemon matches
The lemon sour is the drink most izakaya sell more of than anything else on the list
sesame, nutty, toast, off-dry
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.
barley, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
soft, light-bodied, clean, sweet
Soba shochu
Buckwheat is nutty and low in acid, so citrus is doing structural work rather than adding a flavour.
The lemon sour is the drink most izakaya sell more of than anything else on the list
An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
Show the other 4 lemon matches
buckwheat, nutty, earthy, vanilla
Fresh lemon reads harsh against aged, caramel notes
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Lemon sharpens a crisp bottle further
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
Citrus is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
The lemon sour is the drink most izakaya sell more of than anything else on the list