9 Tips For Crafting Cocktails With Shochu

There's nothing we love more than walking into a sushi restaurant, sitting down at the bar, ordering a variety of sushi, and washing it all down with a couple glasses of sake. But these days there's another drink that's piquing our interest: shochu. Not to be confused with soju, the clear spirit based out of Korea, shochu is also a clear, low ABV Japanese liquor that's been around for centuries. 

But in recent years it's become popular in restaurants all over the nation, especially Japanese restaurants. It's become so popular, in fact, Steve Guillen, the lead bartender for Austin's Watertrade, tells us there are over 52 different types of shochu currently available. That many options may seem overwhelming, but shochu doesn't need to intimidate. Guillen says you just need to understand the spirit and "how the flavors work." Like other liquors, shochu can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail. 

So, since we love a good drink and since shochu cocktails are becoming more and more common, we were curious how one would go about crafting a drink where shochu is the base? Is it as simple as switching out one spirit for another or does it take a little more finesse and craftmanship. Well, we did what all curious barflies would do. We talked to several bartenders who specialize in shochu and got their takes on just how one should go about crafting a great shochu cocktail.

Have you ever tasted something and found it so wonderful that you close your eyes? You don't want anything to distract you from that amazing sip or bite as it passes your lips, coats your tongue and glides down your throat. When you close your eyes your sense of taste and smell become even more enhanced so you're more likely to catch the nuances in whatever you're tasting. In fact, it's so important to cut out all those extra distractions, that at most liquor tastings we're told to smell the spirit first and suss out what aromas are coming from the liquor, aromas that might tell us what grains, herbs, or fruits were used to create it. Then when we close our eyes and taste the spirit for the first time, those flavors become even more prominent than if we'd just grabbed the glass and gulped it down. 

Steve Guillen recommends going through the same process when sampling shochu. "I would taste the product," he says. "Close your eyes and wrap your mind around the happenings of the shochu. Find the bridge between tradition and what you know/what you love." Guillen believes that constantly taking notes and familiarizing yourself with the spirit, "breathes familiarity and knowledge" while helping to determine which type of shochu you prefer.

There are two different types of shochu – Honkaku and Korui. They get these names because of how each spirit is distilled. Honkaku, which, according to Satsuma Shuzo, means authentic or genuine, is created using a single distillation which allows the flavors of its ingredients to shine. Meanwhile Korui, is made using a consecutive distillation process. By distilling the spirit more than once, you end up with a spirit that has no flavor or aroma and so is better suited for cocktails because it will meld with the various mixers used to create each drink. 

While you may think that Kouri shochu is the way to go when enjoying a shochu cocktail, Stevan Miller, the Beverage Director at Esmé and Bar Esmé in Chicago, believes a novice shochu drinker should start with Honkaku. "The flavors [of Honkaku] are derived from the base agricultural product," the JSS Shochu Competition finalist explains. "So, it's best to try it on its own before throwing it into a drink. Try it warmed up, then chill it down. The change in flavor is a rollercoaster," he continues. After you've tasted the Honkaku on its own, Miller suggests using the shochu in "a 4-1 martini just to be sure you have a full understanding of it."

We described the different distillation processes for shochu. But those aren't the only things to consider when grabbing a bottle of the Japanese liquor. You also need to think about the flavors you prefer. That may seem like an easy requirement, but since there are more than 52 different types of shochu, it's best to focus on the five core shochus to begin with; barley, rice, sweet potato, sugar, and buckwheat. Then you need to consider what type of liquor you normally enjoy. 

For example, David Fernie, from Shibumi says those who prefer a whiskey cocktail, should start with a barley shochu and combine it with your favorite whiskey in a one to one split. Using equal measurements of each spirit "in classics such as an old fashioned, Manhattan, or Presbyterian, is an incredible way to allow the shochu to shine, while making the cocktail accessible and recognizable as it's classical touchpoint," he explains. For these types of cocktails, Fernie recommends using Kintaro roasted barley shochu or Mugi Hokka. 

While the old fashioned and Manhattan are great choices for the barley shochu, he says that the spirit also works well in an espresso martini. "The notes of a large number of barley shochus play well with coffee and bring a certain earthy note that can accentuate the fruitiness in some cold brews and espressos."

When we associate rice liquors with Japan, our minds go straight to sake, the low ABV spirit that's made from fermented rice and served hot or cold in little shot glasses. But if you're looking for a rice spirit that has a significantly higher ABV (usually 20 to 30 percent) and is great on its own or in a cocktail, rice shochu is the way to go. Fernie also says it's the best choice for those who prefer gin or vodka. While Shibumi's bartender admits comparing shochu to these more well known spirits is "reductive," he says thinking of it in these terms "helps define the large brush stroke flavor profiles for those completely unfamiliar with the category, while also giving some context for how to mix these often misunderstood distillates."

Fernie goes on to tell us that the easiest way to use rice shochu in a cocktail is the classic Japanese drink the chu-hai which he describes as "a lemon sour highball, lengthened with soda. Easy to drink, sessionable, and refreshing, a chu-hai is an easy way to dip one's toes into the shochu-cocktail matrix."

Where rice shochu is likened to vodka and barley shochu is similar to whiskey, several bartenders tell us that sweet potato shochu is similar to tequila or mezcal depending on how it's distilled. Stevan Miller compares it to the Mexican spirit because it "can add an almost umami like richness to drinks" while Fernie believes it has a "kind of earthy and vegetal flavor profile." 

That earthiness is why both Fernie and Kodo's Felix Campos believe the sweet potato shochu is best used in cocktails that have a significant amount of fruit juice in their mixtures. "Using a nice, light, and lively sweet potato shochu works super well in juicy type cocktails," explains Kodo's beverage manager. He says he likes to use it instead of vodka for a cosmo because it causes the Cointreau and cranberry juice "to pop harder." 

Meanwhile Fernie tells us one of his favorite ways to incorporate sweet potato shochu into a cocktail "is to punch up a Paloma with imo shochu and some umeboshi paste." If you're unfamiliar with umeboshi paste, Fernie says you should be able to find it in Asian specialty stores. Then, whenever you want make your own shochu paloma, simply combine 1 part umeboshi with 6 parts grapefruit juice and 4 parts granulated sugar in a blender and blend until smooth. Since this syrup will last awhile in the refrigerator, you'll be able to whip up a shochu paloma, whenever you like.

When keeping liquor, the most common area to store it is usually a shelf or bar cart. Somewhere out of the sun that's cool and so won't age the spirit faster than it should be but also won't tamper with the liquor's flavors. But there are certain spirits – vodka or gin being the most common – that people like to keep super cold. So, they'll place them in the freezer until they're ready to mix them into a martini or mule.  Hikari Yoshikoka, a brand ambassador for Iichiko, says it's because alcohol with a higher ABV "will taste smoother if chilled." But in general she believes that's it's best to keep most spirits at room temperature.

Shochu may be a lower ABV spirit, but Yoshikoka says it's still best to keep all shochus at room temperature, which is exactly how she stores hers. "Personally, I keep it at room temperature and pop it in the fridge before drinking it or simply drink it with ice," she says.

Part of the reason we go to a bar for a cocktail isn't just for those beautiful drinks in stunning glasses. It's also because of those striking clear ice cubes that are sometimes stamped with the bar's monogram or some pretty design. These days ice has become so important in the cocktail world you can even order it from a variety of online websites. 

Because ice is almost as important as the cocktails they're dropped in, we figured it was another important factor in creating a great shochu drink. We weren't wrong. But with so many different kinds of ice from pebble to cube, is one really better than the next? Stevan Miller thinks so. "Ice is everything, especially when dealing with low ABV spirits," he says. 

So, which is the best kind? A large sphere or a tiny pebble? Crystal clear or cloudy? "Unless you are using it as a flavoring ingredient, I would focus on bigger ice to prevent over dilution," Miller explains. But he quickly adds that "a Chartreuse swizzle [which is typically made with pebble ice] with some Mahoko Sweet Potato & Rice Honkaku Shochu sounds heavenly to me."

Certain cocktail glasses just go with certain drinks. You know that when you order an old fashioned, it's probably going to be served in a short rocks glass. A champagne cocktail will most likely come in a flute or coupe glass. The whiskey highball even has a glass named after it. For all the different glassware out there, you'd think there would be a specific glass for shochu. But it turns out there isn't. 

Just like any cocktail made with any spirit,  Hikari Yoshikoka says "the glassware would depend on how you drink the shochu. A tulip glass would be preferred when drinking [it] straight, a tall glass for mixing with club sofa or water," she continues. And if you choose to enjoy your shochu on the rocks, Yoshikoka says "a short glass will suffice." So, if you're concerned about which glass to serve your shochu cocktail in, don't be. Just follow Yoshikoka's advice, and odds are you'll have at least one of the glasses ideal for sipping shochu. 

We're strong believers that bubbles and cocktails go together like apple pie and vanilla ice cream, they just make the cocktail better. Look at some of our favorites: the gin & tonic, the Moscow mule, an Aperol spritz, and of course the highball. Every single one of these drinks has one type of bubble from prosecco to tonic or soda. It's that little extra splash that makes our taste buds stand up and take note. That extra fizz that not only makes these cocktails sing, but turns them into the perfect refresher on a stifling day. Clearly we're not alone in the belief that a cocktail is better when served with an extra dose of carbonation, otherwise we wouldn't have all these delightfully fizzy drinks of which we can't get enough. 

So, if those bubbles work so well with gin, whiskey, and vodka, why wouldn't they work with shochu? Steve Guillen strongly believes they do. "Soda and prosecco does work well with shochu," he says. As a matter of fact, Guillen likes adding bubbles to shochu cocktails so much, he tells us that there's currently a cocktail on the Watertrade menu that combines a sparkling chardonnay with sweet potato shochu and a Japanese gin. While Guillen has yet to try tonic with shochu, he believes the combination would be "a great idea."