In honor of Umami Mart’s sixth anniversary/ lease-signing and the Japan Week celebration in NYC, this month we spotlight the Japanese Cocktail for Happy Hour. We will review the cocktail’s origins, its ingredients, and offer an improved adaptation that pays homage to Japan.

Cocktail historian David Wondrich gives a through history of the libation in his book Imbibe! From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, A Salute in Stories and Drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of he American Bar (2007).

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One of my favorite places for a sunset cocktail in San Francisco is the historic Cliff House. First opened in 1863, it sits on the site of the Sutro Bath House ruins overlooking Ocean Beach. Go early for a walk around Lands End. It’s such a stunning spot! Back at the Cliff House, I recommend the bar downstairs, which faces west and gets the most gorgeous late-afternoon golden glow.

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Amazake literally translates to “sweet sake” which is deceiving considering it’s non-alcoholic. It’s sweet, milky and easy to digest, making it perfect for kids or adults with an upset stomach.

Amazake is made by combining koji with cooked rice, which allows the rice to break down into simple sugars. This is the first step to sake-making. After this step, making sake involves fermentation, pasteurization and filteration and achieves an ABV of around 15%.

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“Champagne for our real friends and real pains for our sham friends.”
- A toast from Harry’s Bar in Paris circa 1920

This Valentine’s Day, make sure your pre or post-romantic dinner drink is the classic champagne cocktail. The French 75 is the grand dame of champagne cocktails and has been the basis for dozens of delicious variations. Basically, it is a sour (spirit, lemon, simple syrup) plus Champagne, which was most likely inspired by a Collins or Fizz recipes.

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It’s so cold in the woods these days — cozy up with a warm cup of Chai-Nog! Just mix one part chai tea (loose leaf or from a tea bag) with one part egg nog, then sprinkle with nutmeg. Spike it with a bit of whiskey or rum for a nightcap! This will surely warm your head, heart, down to your toes.

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In 2013, I am so excited to be devoting myself to the creation of my first cookbook, which seemed like a pipe dream last year at this time. I am so grateful to everyone who has inspired and supported me creatively up to this point, and the gals at Umami Mart have played such a big role in that. In this new year, I encourage you to take a creative leap, start a new project (even if it seems crazy) and make time for something you’ve been wanting to do — you never know where it may lead.

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Wishing you a happy, healthy and peaceful holiday season.

Cheers!
Erin

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Over the last decade the cocktail renaissance has spread across the country and helped turn bartending from a mere side-job for college students and aspiring actors into an honorable profession. It has also resurrected previously unknown names like Jerry Thomas and Harry Johnson by turning them into prophet-like figures, and their recipes have become gospel for a new generation of barkeeps and cocktail geeks.

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Categorically speaking, a flip is a cocktail in which a whole egg is deployed, the reason being to impart a richness, body, and a silky texture to a drink. Because of how rich these drinks are, they are considered more appropriate during the chillier months (unless you’re like a certain photographer for The PDT Project, in which case you enjoy them all year round).

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On a combined wedding/tour/family holiday in Sri Lanka in mid-November, I had two days in Colombo with my parents. One of the things I’ve been trying to do for the past few years was to visit Euphorium Tea Salon which supplies Ceylon tea to Lanka, a Japanese pâtisserie in London. But each time I’ve tried, we’ve somehow been unsuccessful and I wondered whether I would ever set foot in this place.

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