Shochu that goes with sake (in a shochu drink)
Wine, liqueur and spirits
These are bottles to mix sake (in a shochu drink) into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
A dry junmai as the lengthener for rice shochu, one to two. Low proof, all rice.
Best bottles for sake (in a shochu drink)
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 junmai lengthens the rice already in the bottle: the same grain, brewed and distilled, in one glass
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, umami, rich
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, umami, rich, aged
rice, smooth, maple, umami
rice, umami
rice, citrus, umami, soft
rice, smooth, soft, clean
rice, floral, ginjo-like, clean
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
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.
Kome shochu
Rice shochu stirred with vermouth is a martini with koji where the juniper was. The strength depends on the bottle, not on the swap. Most shochu is 25 and lands well under a gin martini. The 40 percent bottles land beside one.
A junmai lengthens the rice already in the bottle: the same grain, brewed and distilled, in one glass
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, umami, rich
rice, umami, rich, aged
Show the other 64 sake (in a shochu drink) matches
rice, floral, ginjo-like, clean
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, ginjo-like
rice, aged, cask, smooth
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, rich, clean, bright
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, clean, aged
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, clean, aged
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, sweet, clean, smooth
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, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
rice, light-bodied, clean
Awamori
Awamori has enough character to be the base of a cocktail, not the neutral part of one. So an orange liqueur or a mezcal sits beside it instead of covering it.
A junmai lengthens the rice already in the bottle: the same grain, brewed and distilled, in one glass
rice, smooth, maple, umami
rice, citrus, umami, soft
rice, smooth, soft, clean
The bottle is already savoury, and this puts more of that in the glass.
Show the other 102 sake (in a shochu drink) matches
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
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, toast, sweet
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, clean, smooth
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, sherry-like, 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, 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, clean, sharp, aged
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rice, nutty, dry, aged
A dry junmai as the lengthener for rice shochu, one to two. Low proof, all rice.
floral, clean, sharp, aged
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
Imo shochu
The bottle is already savoury, and this puts more of that in the glass.
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
Show the other 17 sake (in a shochu drink) matches
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, smooth, nutty, umami
Ginjo-aroma shochu and a ginjo sake are one perfume
Mugi shochu
A junmai lengthens the rice already in the bottle: the same grain, brewed and distilled, in one glass
barley, rice, umami
The bottle is already savoury, and this puts more of that in the glass.
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, umami, rich, sharp
Show the other 6 sake (in a shochu drink) matches
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, umami, savory, clean
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, umami, aged
barley, umami, light-bodied
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
The bottle is already savoury, and this puts more of that in the glass.
roasted grain, umami, smooth
barley, smooth, honey, vanilla
Kokuto shochu
The bottle is already savoury, and this puts more of that in the glass.
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
Soba shochu
The bottle is already savoury, and this puts more of that in the glass.
A junmai lengthens the rice already in the bottle: the same grain, brewed and distilled, in one glass
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
A junmai lengthens the rice already in the bottle: the same grain, brewed and distilled, in one glass
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
A junmai lengthens the rice already in the bottle: the same grain, brewed and distilled, in one glass