Blog » Cocktails

Let us fantasize for a minute here: we're in the Yucatan, having drinks on chaise lounges by the infinity pool overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. In this fantasy, I have a hot JLo bikini bod. Hell yah! Reality: the "Gulf of Mexico" is actually a kiddie pool I...

When Yoko told me that this month's Sake Gumi theme was genshu sakes, I was so excited. This was a prime opportunity to develop some new cocktails! Since genshu sakes are tank strength, they have not been diluted (most sakes are diluted with water to bring down the ABV) –...

I found this cocktail inside Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails book that we carry at Umami Mart. Aptly named the Mother-In-Law cocktail, it is indeed a stiff enough drink to prepare you for a visit with the in-laws. There's nothing...

Manufactured in Japan for Umami Mart, our Seamless Plain Mixing Glass is crafted from sturdy, high-quality glass and has an elegant minimalist design.

A panel discussion with Dylan O'Brien (Prizefighter), Chris Lane (Ramen Shop), and Kayoko Akabori and Yoko Kumano (Umami Mart). Moderated by Shanna Farrell.

Learn when, why, and how to use syrups to make sodas, cocktails, and mocktails, and three recipes to make yourself at home using fresh fruit, spices, herbs.

After our Seamless Plain Mixing Glass was called Best Mixing Glass by Sweethome, we quickly sold out. Fortunately, we we're back in stock again!

Adding falernum to your rum or tequila drink will take your mouth on a tropical vacation. Find out how to use this sweet, spicy syrup in your next cocktail.

A play on the classic French 75 cocktail recipe using yuzu juice, sparkling wine, and umeshu (plum wine) substituting for gin.

We hosted a cocktail making event at Forgery with Plumpjack Wine & Spirits on how to stir the perfect cocktail and when a drink is shaken vs. stirred.

There is a renaissance of sorts happening in Seattle and cocktail culture will not be left behind! Here are four bars we visited and would highly recommend.

A lesson in cocktail history and tutorial on how to stir cocktails at the Forgery in San Francisco

The Lexus of ramen noodle machines used at Ramen Shop in Rockridge, Oakland.

As you may know, Google does not work in China. Savvy travelers would know to install a VPN service on their phones before taking off into China. We were not savvy. So I guess we got the REAL Chinese experience: Page not...

When we mentioned to Mr. Akio Watanabe, owner of Bar EST! in Tokyo that we were heading to Niigata, he recommended that we visit Bar Owl. It was one of those things that we told him we would do but Yoko and I didn't actually...

*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!...

Looking back on our trip to Japan in February, the most memorable cocktail was at Bar EST!. A short distance from the Yushima train station in Tokyo, EST! is a dark, tavernous space filled with men drinking a scotch on the rocks and smoking cigarettes.

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...

We met the gracious Masako Ikegami in 2010, before we opened our shop in Oakland, at the Tokyo-SF Bartender Salon we helped host at Prizefighter. A few bartenders from Japan who had won the coveted Suntory Cocktail Award, presented cocktails and exchanged tricks of...

Alchemy Bottle Shop opened this year in March on Grand Avenue in Oakland. Owners Tova and Peter's selection is second-to-none, featuring everything from single malts (including a great selection from Japan) to hard-to-find amaros. Kayoko and I get lost in la-la land whenever we enter Alchemy....