Sake and Shochu Gumi
Happy Hour

Happy Hour: Umamichelada!

Scroll to the bottom for updated recipe notes and photo! - Kayoko, 6/30/2020Ah, Mexico. We went to Cabo San Lucas over New Year's and had a magical time. We were captivated by the sea breeze... ... the abundantly fresh seafood...

Postcard from Shanghai: Cocktails at hoF

*Yoko is in China for 10 days! And with no access to Facebook or Instagram, she is sending us photos the old school way — via postcards. We’ll be featuring these snapshots from Yoko in Chengdu and Shanghai all week here on the blog. Enjoy!...

Happy Hour

Happy Hour: Gin(jo) Rickey

With the opening of our bottle shop, I have been exploring the world of sake. Daiginjos, Junmais, Yamahais, Namas, I'm trying them all. While tasting all of the different sakes, there is one particular trait I'm always looking for: would this be good in a cocktail? Tis a...

Togarashi Ginger Highball at Jicca (Tokyo)

As you know by now, Tori-chan is a dear friend of ours who opened Jicca, a restaurant and wine bar in the Hatagaya neighborhood in Tokyo nearly two years ago. She is a native of Minami-soma in Fukushima prefecture; a town that was...

Kuishinbo

Kuishinbo: The Smiler Cocktail

As a Japanese person, I love to drink. The first time I traveled to the U.S. with my sister, the two of us would always order a bottle of wine during lunch, and then again for dinner. The servers were always amazed;...

Meet Louis Anderman of Miracle Mile Bitters Co.

Louis Anderman is a scientist. Born from a true passion for bitters, Miracle Mile Bitters Co. started out as a hobby (just like us!), as Louis concocted potions from days of yore, right in his kitchen. Miracle Mile now leads the west coast bitters revolution...

Happy Hour

Happy Hour: Yuzu Liqueur

The Food Republic recently declared yuzu as America's next big THING. Well, duhhhh! Umami Mart readers, writers and shoppers have been privy to this whimsical citrus for a long while now so we're not lifting any eyebrows at these sort of dramatic announcements. That...

Happy Hour

Happy Hour: Tokyo Mule

Heyyyy, Happy Hour is BACK! I spent all weekend trying to come up with a clever column name for this post, which would also be used for future articles about cocktails that I make at home (Bar Umami Mart? Kayoko Bar? Bar Kayo?). But...