Shochu that goes with pickled ginger (gari)
Savory and salt
These are bottles to mix pickled ginger (gari) into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
A spoon of the brine, and a slice as garnish. Sweet, sour and hot at once.
Best bottles for pickled ginger (gari)
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Gari sits next to sushi rice; it sits next to a rice spirit for the same reason
Ginger is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
Sweet-sour ginger on a clean bottle
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
barley, umami, savory, clean
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
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.
Soba shochu
Buckwheat is a savoury grain, and a soba restaurant already serves this spirit next to dashi.
Gari sits next to sushi rice; it sits next to a rice spirit for the same reason
A spoon of the brine, and a slice as garnish. Sweet, sour and hot at once.
buckwheat, nutty, earthy, vanilla
buckwheat, smooth, aged
buckwheat, smooth
Show the other 4 pickled ginger (gari) matches
Awamori
Gari sits next to sushi rice; it sits next to a rice spirit for the same reason
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, clean, sweet
rice, clean, smooth
rice, soft, clean, aged
Show the other 97 pickled ginger (gari) matches
rice, clean, sharp, aged
rice, smooth, soft, clean
Sweet-sour ginger on a clean bottle
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
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, toast, sweet
rice, 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, 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, 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, aged
rice, soft, smooth
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, citrus, umami, soft
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, chocolate, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
rice, floral, honey, caramel
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
Mugi shochu
Dashi-wari and an umeboshi in hot barley shochu are real izakaya orders, but they belong to a winter counter rather than a summer glass.
Sweet-sour ginger on a clean bottle
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, crisp, clean
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
Show the other 94 pickled ginger (gari) matches
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, rich, clean
barley, umami, savory, clean
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
Gari sits next to sushi rice; it sits next to a rice spirit for the same reason
barley, rice, umami
barley, earthy, clean, bright
barley, sweet, clean
barley, clean, sharp
Barley shochu and gari brine is a bartender's shortcut to a ginger sour
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, smooth
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, soft, sweet
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, light-bodied
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, fruity, soft
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, roasted grain
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, sesame, grassy, chocolate
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, umami, aged
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, melon, banana, floral
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, vanilla, cask
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, rich
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, silky, smooth
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, cask, aged
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, dry, cask, aged
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
Imo shochu
An earthy bottle has a savoury side already, and these meet it rather than trying to sweeten it away.
Sweet-sour ginger on a clean bottle
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
Show the other 83 pickled ginger (gari) matches
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, sweet, clean, fruity
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
sweet potato, soft, tea
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, aged
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, earthy
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, coffee, earthy, pepper
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, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, fruity
sweet potato, smooth, fruity, bright
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, rich, purple sweet potato
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, crisp
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
Kome shochu
Gari sits next to sushi rice; it sits next to a rice spirit for the same reason
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, sweet, clean, smooth
rice, light-bodied, clean
Show the other 63 pickled ginger (gari) matches
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, smooth, aged
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, floral, aged
rice, floral, smooth, soft
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, smooth, full-bodied, cask
rice, citrus, aged
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, umami, rich, aged
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, chocolate, sweet
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, rich, bright
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, cask, aged
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Ginger is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
Barley shochu and gari brine is a bartender's shortcut to a ginger sour
chestnut, barley, fruity, rich
Sweet-sour ginger on a clean bottle
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Gari sits next to sushi rice; it sits next to a rice spirit for the same reason
Sweet-sour ginger on a clean bottle
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
soft, light-bodied, clean, sweet
corn, savory, sweet, clean
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Sweet-sour ginger on a clean bottle
sesame, nutty, toast, off-dry
Barley shochu and gari brine is a bartender's shortcut to a ginger sour
Gari sits next to sushi rice; it sits next to a rice spirit for the same reason