Shochu that goes with passion fruit
Tropical fruit
These are bottles to mix passion fruit into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
The most useful tropical fruit for mixing: intensely aromatic and properly sour. Pulp with seeds, or a good puree.
Best bottles for passion fruit
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Its own floral note joins the bottle's
Passion fruit's acid gives lychee-scented bottles the edge they lack
Tropical acid against sweet-potato depth is a modern Kagoshima cocktail
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, umami
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
The newer imo shochu are bred for lychee and tropical aromatics, so tropical fruit is agreeing with the bottle rather than fighting it.
Its own floral note joins the bottle's
Passion fruit's acid gives lychee-scented bottles the edge they lack
Tropical acid against sweet-potato depth is a modern Kagoshima cocktail
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
Show the other 155 passion fruit matches
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, fruity, soft, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft, light-bodied
sweet potato, berry, soft, sweet
sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, roasted grain
sweet potato, sweet, soft
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, 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, smooth
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, floral, soft, maple
sweet potato, purple sweet potato, berry, yogurt
sweet potato, white peach, grape, berry
lychee, grape, jasmine, rich
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
sweet potato, earthy
sweet potato, coffee, earthy, pepper
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
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, 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, sweet, clean, fruity
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, sweet
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, soft, tea
sweet potato, umami
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, 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, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
Awamori
Okinawa grows the pineapple, the passion fruit and the shikuwasa, and distils the spirit. The pairing is geography.
caramel, smoky, rich, earthy
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
Show the other 102 passion fruit matches
floral, clean, sharp, aged
rich, smooth, clean, soft
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, cask, aged
rice, whisky-like, cask, aged
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, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, aged
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, clean, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, soft, aged
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, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, smooth, maple, umami
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, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, smooth, soft, clean
Kokuto shochu
Everything the tiki canon does with rum works here, and works better, because the drink does not end the evening.
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
Show the other 21 passion fruit matches
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, cask, aged
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
Soba shochu
An earthy, heavy spirit flattens out without acid. This is the ingredient doing structural work, not decoration.
buckwheat, smooth, aged
buckwheat, barley, rice
Show the other 3 passion fruit matches
buckwheat, cask, aged
Kome shochu
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.
Its own floral note joins the bottle's
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, floral, smooth, soft
Show the other 2 passion fruit matches
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
Fruit without acid goes flat fast. A squeeze of something sour is what keeps a fruity bottle tasting fresh instead of sweet.
Mugi shochu
The bottle already smells of tropical fruit, and this puts more of it 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.
Its own floral note joins the bottle's
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
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Its own floral note joins the bottle's
floral, fruity, sweet, plum
Tropical acid against sweet-potato depth is a modern Kagoshima cocktail
chestnut, floral, roasted grain, sweet
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Tropical fruit is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
There is real sugar in this bottle already, and acid is what keeps it from reading as syrup.
Its own floral note joins the bottle's
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Tropical acid against sweet-potato depth is a modern Kagoshima cocktail