Shochu that goes with orange
Citrus
These are bottles to mix orange into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Fresh juice when you want it long and easy; the peel when the bottle is aged and the drink is stirred.
Best bottles for orange
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Kokuto shochu is a cane spirit at two thirds the proof, and citrus acid is what keeps its sugar moving.
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
Bright fruit on bright fruit
A clean mugi does under citrus what a neutral shochu does, with a little more grain left behind it.
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, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
Rice sweetness wants acid, and citrus is the most direct way to give it some.
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
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.
Kokuto shochu
Kokuto shochu is a cane spirit at two thirds the proof, and citrus acid is what keeps its sugar moving.
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
Show the other 21 orange matches
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, 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, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
Show the other 101 orange matches
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rich, smooth, clean, soft
floral, clean, sharp, aged
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, sweet, crisp, smooth
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, soft, smooth
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, nutty, dry, aged
caramel, smoky, rich, earthy
Mugi shochu
A clean mugi does under citrus what a neutral shochu does, with a little more grain left behind it.
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, pear, soft, spice
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
Show the other 91 orange matches
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, clean, off-dry, smooth
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, rich, crisp
barley, soft, clean
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, umami, 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, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, roasted grain
barley, sesame, grassy, chocolate
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, smooth, dry
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, banana, toast
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, cask, aged
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, toast, cereal, rich
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, cask, aged
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, dry, cask, aged
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, melon, banana, floral
Kome shochu
Rice sweetness wants acid, and citrus is the most direct way to give it some.
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
Show the other 64 orange matches
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, floral, ginjo-like, clean
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, umami, crisp, 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, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
rice, light-bodied, clean
Imo shochu
Citrus acid cuts sweet potato's weight. That's why Kagoshima bars reach for grapefruit and yuzu before anything else.
Bright fruit on bright fruit
The bottle already smells of citrus, and this puts more of it in the glass.
Orange oil sits on top of vanilla. Juice would cut it, which is the opposite of the point
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
Orange peel is the standard partner for a warm spice, which is why anything mulled has both
Show the other 151 orange matches
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
Caramel needs a bitter edge or it reads as syrup, and peel gives that without adding acid
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
Fresh juice when you want it long and easy; the peel when the bottle is aged and the drink is stirred.
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
sweet potato, soft, tea
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
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, citrus, fruity, mint
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, 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, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
sweet potato, spice, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, vanilla, creamy texture, bright
sweet potato, tea, vanilla, mushroom
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
Orange juice turns thin against earthy bottles
This bottle already reads sweet, on aroma rather than on sugar. Adding real sugar to it is the most common way a drink built on it goes wrong.
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
sweet potato, fruity, soft, sweet
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, 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, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
sweet potato, funky
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, clean, fruity
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
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 potato, roasted sweet potato, roasted grain, sweet
sweet potato, white peach, grape, berry
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, rich, soft, aged
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, crisp, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied, 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, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, long finish
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
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
sesame, nutty, toast, off-dry
shiso, red shiso, herbal, floral
tropical fruit, rich
Show the other 4 orange matches
A twist rather than juice. Orange oil over coffee is the oldest garnish on an espresso drink and it costs the glass nothing in sweetness
Soba shochu
Buckwheat is nutty and low in acid, so citrus is doing structural work rather than adding a flavour.
buckwheat, smooth, aged
Show the other 3 orange matches
buckwheat, cask, aged
Orange juice turns thin against earthy bottles
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.
Fresh juice when you want it long and easy; the peel when the bottle is aged and the drink is stirred.
soft, light-bodied, clean, sweet
barley, soft, crisp, clean
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Orange peel is the standard partner for a warm spice, which is why anything mulled has both
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.
Orange oil sits on top of vanilla. Juice would cut it, which is the opposite of the point