How Do I Use Shochu In Cocktails?
Great shochu cocktails should be unexpected, playful, challenging, and delicious. Every drink made with Shochu is an opportunity to blow someone’s mind and expand their horizons. Shochu plays in cocktails in a way that other spirits simply don’t - highlighting culinary and umami notes, while simultaneously being delicate and fruity. Soba shochu (buckwheat) can add a dynamic toasted-grain layer to an old fashioned, while sweet potato, or imo shochu, can add floral and earthy notes to a margarita. Kura Shochu is 40% ABV, and is right at home in a variety of classic cocktails, whether you split-base with the original liquor or swap it out entirely. Try it in a martini, try it in a classic Mai Tai, try it in a negroni. It’s truly chameleonic.
When initiating someone into the world of shochu, I usually start with a few simple questions. What flavors or cocktails do they like? Fruity? Sour? Smoky? Spirit-forward? Get an idea of their palette and make them something personal, especially once you find out what their go-to cocktail order is. Slip some awamori into a rum-based drink, try slipping some kome, or rice shochu, into a sazerac. split-base (or fully substitute) classic drinks with shochu whenever possible, to highlight how much it can change the depth and complexity of a drink your guest might think they know like the back of their hand.
Here’s a little cheat sheet if you’re using 25% abv shochu and frankensteining it into a classic drink -Use 66% base spirit, 33% shochu, in order to keep the ABV high enough to stand up to the other flavors. If it’s a genshu shochu, (40%ABVish) you can go 50/50, or sub it completely. Some shortcuts: Gin and Mezcal go well with Imo, Rum goes well with Awamori, Whiskey goes well with Mugi, Tequila goes well with Kasu Shochu. There are infinite combinations. play around with flavors and discover for yourself! This is one of the ways I’ve grown most significantly as a bartender and the way I approach flavor profiles, so I highly recommend it as a way of learning.
