How to Make Better Highballs, Negronis, and Martinis Using Shochu

Whether you notice it or not, Japanese culture regularly influences American cocktail bars, whether in the form of ice (well-sized and perfectly formed), ingredients (Japanese whisky or yuzu), highballs (icy and precisely made), or bar tools. But one of Japan’s greatest beverage achievements, shochu — is still woefully missing from American menus.

“Shochu has been around for hundreds of years, but it’s still relatively unknown to the regular US drinker,” says Abeo Miller, Bartender at Katana Kitten, a high-fi bar in New York City’s West Village that serves barley shochu Negronis.

Perhaps the spirit’s image issues on American soil are to blame. Some consider shochu a distilled sake (wrong), while others mix it up with Korean soju (also wrong); many more write it off as an unaged Japanese whisky (try again!) or a Japanese vodka (still no!).

It’s a bit of a shame. The Japanese spirit is unique, elegant, and highly craft; expressive and exacting in its capture of terroir. It’s a spirit that shines on its own, but is also delicious in highballs and plays well in Italian classics like the Negroni.

What is shochu?

Simply put, shochu is a distilled Japanese spirit made from a myriad of ingredients. The most common are rice, sweet potato, barley, and buckwheat though chestnut, shiso, and radish shochu are also available. 

Those ingredients matter, but shochu is largely characterized by the cultivated mold koji. When propagated and added to the fermentation process, koji adds an underlying and defining umami to the spirit. The flavor it imparts can be subtle and floral (think white miso or mirin), as well as punchy and fungal, like rich red miso. “Shochu has such a unique flavor thanks to koji, which is the umami ingredient found in other Japanese foods like soy sauce,” says Miller.

Shochu undergoes two fermentations over the course of several weeks: one with just koji, water and yeast, and a second where a main ingredient is added. It’s a slow and steady process; “You don’t make shochu, you raise it,” says Stephen Lyman, author of The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks. 

The final mixture is distilled in a pot still (either a copper still or an old-school cedar one) then aged till the final proof falls to a low octane 20 — 25% ABV.

Shochu vs soju

Shochu is from Japan and soju is from Korea. Under government rule, Honkaku shochu (authentic shochu) is distilled just once, while soju is typically distilled multiple times and then amped up with citric acids and sweetness. Soju has a clean, neutral, slightly sugary profile that’s  more similar to a vodka in process and neutral profile.

The phonetic similarities between shochu and soju have caused decades of headaches and confusion for producers and consumers. American legislation didn’t help this. Up until November 2023 for the Japanese spirit to be sold in the state of California, it could not fall above 24% ABV and it must be labeled as soju. 

What are the different styles of shochu?

Similar to gin or whiskey, shochu distilleries range from tiny operations in old wooden houses to behemoth factory distilleries.

While shochu is mainly made on the Southern Japanese island of Kyushu, toji (master brewers or distillers) work with dozens of raw materials and a range of koji varieties to bring each bottle to life. "I love shochu's diversity," says Jason Hedges, Beverage Director at Laurent Tourondel Hospitality and author of The Seasonal Cocktail.

Sweet potato (or imo shochu) is earthy and subtly sweet, just like the giant purple sweet potatoes it’s born from. Look for bottles from Colorful or Jikuya Distillery. Barley shochu (like the popular iichiko) tends to be more intense and slightly fruity.

Rice shochu (kome) are clean and similar to sake in flavor profiles. They follow sake-making methods then add an extra distillation step. (Try bottles from Jufuku Shuzo or Toyonaga Gura.)

You can even pick a shochu based on the koji,  which i lends different aromas and flavor profiles to the end product. White koji leans bright and slightly sweet, yellow adds freshness, while shochu made with black koji is earthier and full bodied.

“There are such a wide range of flavors available in the category so it’s exciting to explore and work with,” says Kenta Goto, owner of Bar Goto. At Bar Goto Niban, he hosts shochu sundays filled with flights, glass pours, bottles, and highballs. “We just want more people to get excited about trying shochu.”

If you don’t like one, don’t write off the category — just try a different style. “There’s really something for everything,” says Goto. “The first shochu you happen to try is not the only experience you are going to have. Approach shochu like wine: if you don’t like one type of variety or style, it doesn’t mean you don’t like them all.”

How to sip shochu

One of the spirit’s biggest flexes is its flexibility. “I suggest first trying shochu on the rocks to really experience the flavor on its own,” says Miller. Then, graduate to a highball.. “It’s a very approachable way to try shochu and see what it’s all about,” says Goto. He’ll serve guests lychee and pear highballs with sweet potato shochu and the Mugi Choko, a barley shochu highball with amaro, cacao, and soda. 

In Japan, the suggested serve is often a shot of shochu topped up with mineral water (mizuwari). It lowers the proof and makes the spirit more sessionable. For a winterized version,  heat the water to around 130°F and dilute your shochu and accentuate the aromas.

Or, give your shochu an American accent. “Try swapping shochu with hero spirits in your favorite cocktails, like gin in a Negroni or vodka in a Bloody Mary,” says Miller. “You’ll find the familiar flavors of those beloved cocktails but with an exciting twist.” (Keep in mind that shochu is lower proof, typically between 20% and 25%, so you’ll need to tweak the proof of the cocktail accordingly.) The lower proof also makes it an excellent modifier — at Pacific Cocktail Haven, Kevin Diedrich balances out a salty citrus Pandan sour made with Japanese whisky with ¾ ounce of rice shochu. 

Essentially, shochu is malleable; moveable to your mood, taste, and overall vibe. At Overpressure Club in Toronto, it’s a staple in a house martini, made with a split-base of vodka-and-shochu martini with a shiso vermouth. Present Tense in Nashville has a shochu sour with lemon, red shiso and lemongrass. Enso in Louisville has the Hollow Purple, with barley shochu, Wray & Nephew, oloroso sherry, coconut, ube, and toasted Carolina gold rice. Or, they offer classic highballs. Try it with shochu, the menu beckons.