Shochu that goes with lemongrass
Herbs
These are bottles to mix lemongrass into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Bruised stalks steeped in the spirit, or a syrup. Citrus without acid, which is useful when you want aroma but not sourness.
Best bottles for lemongrass
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
A US barley shochu is literally made with lemongrass; the pairing is proven
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, melon, banana, floral
barley, clean, off-dry, smooth
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, crisp, clean
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, soft, clean
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, rich, clean
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 spirit takes herbs the way vodka does, but with a cereal sweetness underneath that gives them something to sit on.
A US barley shochu is literally made with lemongrass; the pairing is proven
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, melon, banana, floral
barley, clean, off-dry, smooth
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, crisp, clean, aged
Show the other 94 lemongrass matches
barley, crisp, clean
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, soft, clean
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, umami, savory, clean
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, earthy, clean, bright
barley, sweet, clean
barley, earthy, mineral, pepper
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
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, smoky, soft, cask
barley, umami, rich, sweet
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, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, roasted grain
barley, sesame, grassy, chocolate
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, toast, spice, rich
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, jasmine, honey, vanilla
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, fruity, light-bodied
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, cask, aged
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, dry, cask, aged
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
A US barley shochu is literally made with lemongrass; the pairing is proven
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
floral, fruity, sweet, plum
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
chestnut, floral, roasted grain, sweet
Citrus is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
Show the other 4 lemongrass matches
Lemongrass and ginger is tom yum logic
barley, smooth, honey, vanilla
chestnut, barley, fruity, rich
Lemongrass perfume shows on a clean bottle
Imo shochu
Lemongrass perfume shows on a clean bottle
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
Southeast Asian flavors together
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
Show the other 29 lemongrass matches
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, floral, soft, maple
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
lychee, grape, jasmine, rich
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, sweet, clean, fruity
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
Kokuto shochu
Amami's molasses aroma is already in the bottle, so a green herb has something to sit against.
Lemongrass perfume shows on a clean bottle
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
Show the other 21 lemongrass matches
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, cask, aged
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
Awamori
Lemongrass perfume shows on a clean bottle
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
Show the other 12 lemongrass matches
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rich, smooth, clean, soft
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, smooth, soft, clean
Kome shochu
Lemongrass perfume shows on a clean bottle
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
rice, floral, smooth, soft
Show the other 10 lemongrass matches
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, light-bodied, clean
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Only where the herb agrees with the bottle's own botanical. Shiso on shiso works; rosemary on shiso does not.
Citrus is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
rice, citrus, crisp
Lemongrass perfume shows on a clean bottle
A US barley shochu is literally made with lemongrass; the pairing is proven
Show the other 4 lemongrass matches
Bruised stalks steeped in the spirit, or a syrup. Citrus without acid, which is useful when you want aroma but not sourness.
tropical fruit, rich
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
A US barley shochu is literally made with lemongrass; the pairing is proven
Lemongrass perfume shows on a clean bottle
rice, soft, crisp, clean
soft, light-bodied, clean, sweet
Soba shochu
A US barley shochu is literally made with lemongrass; the pairing is proven