Ordering a bottle at an izakaya: bottle keep and mixer sets

How ordering a whole bottle of shochu works, what the ice-and-water set is, mixing drinks yourselves, and keeping the rest of the bottle at the shop with your name on it.

At the next table, a group has a big bottle of shochu, a bucket of ice and a jug of water, and they’re mixing their own drinks. When they leave, the staff write a name on the bottle and put it on a shelf. That’s bottle keep (ボトルキープ), and you can do it too.

Photo coming soonShochu bottles on an izakaya shelf, each with a name tag hanging from the neck

Kept bottles on the shelf, each with the customer's name and the date.

How it works

You order a whole bottle — usually shochu, sometimes whisky.
You order a set of ice, water and other mixers (see below).
You mix your own drinks at the table.
If there’s some left when you go, the shop keeps the bottle for you. Your name goes on a tag or straight on the bottle.
Next time you come, ask for your bottle and carry on.

Is it worth it?

It can be cheaper than ordering by the glass, if your group drinks a few rounds. A bottle of shochu holds enough for well over ten drinks with water, and you pay for it once.

For a short trip, you probably won’t come back to finish it, so think of bottle keep as a bonus rather than a reason. A bottle makes most sense for three or more people who all like shochu.

Prices vary a lot by shop and brand, so check the menu. Bottles are usually listed under ボトル with the brand name.

The set: ice, water and mixers

Bottles come with nothing to mix. You order a set (セット) — often listed as 割り物 (warimono, mixers):

an ice bucket (氷, kōri) and tongs
a jug of water (水, mizu)
sometimes soda, oolong tea, green tea, hot water, lemon slices or pickled plums

Shops charge for this in different ways: per set, per person, or per jug of each mixer. Ask before you order, and check whether refills cost extra.

Mixing your own drinks

You’ll get glasses and a stirrer (マドラー, madorā). How strong to make it is up to you. More on the different ways to drink it in Shochu explained.

In a Japanese group, people make drinks for each other, and someone will usually offer to make yours. It’s a nice thing to do in return.

Keeping the bottle

When you leave with some still in the bottle, the staff will ask for a name — or give you a tag or marker to write it yourself, usually with the date.

How long: shops keep bottles for a limited time, often around three months. After that, they may throw it away. Ask the staff.
Where: only at that shop. A kept bottle doesn’t move to another branch.
Taking it home: usually not possible. This isn’t the shop being stingy — it’s the law. In Japan, selling alcohol to be drunk somewhere other than the shop needs a separate liquor sales licence, and many izakaya only have permission to serve drinks on the premises. Letting you walk out with a bottle can count as that kind of sale, so most shops say no. A few shops with the licence may allow it, so you can ask.