The Japanese Art Of The Cocktail
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- $20.99
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- $20.99
Publisher Description
The first cocktail book from the award-winning mixologist Masahiro Urushido of Katana Kitten in New York City, on the craft of Japanese cocktail making
Katana Kitten, one of the world’s most prominent and acclaimed Japanese cocktail bars, was opened in 2018 by highly-respected and award-winning mixologist Masahiro Urushido. Just one year later, the bar won 2019 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best New American Cocktail Bar. Before Katana Kitten, Urushido honed his craft over several years behind the bar of award-winning eatery Saxon+Parole. In The Japanese Art of the Cocktail, Urushido shares his immense knowledge of Japanese cocktails with eighty recipes that best exemplify Japan’s contribution to the cocktail scene, both from his own bar and from Japanese mixologists worldwide. Urushido delves into what exactly constitutes the Japanese approach to cocktails, and demystifies the techniques that have been handed down over generations, all captured in stunning photography.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this titillating debut, Urushido, head mixologist at Manhattan's Katana Kitten, cracks the code of Japanese craft-cocktail-making with 80 mouthwatering recipes. He lays out the precision and techniques needed for mixing the perfect drink, but, often, the work feels like a promotional piece for the Greenwich Village establishment—especially in the first 50 pages, which cover Urushido's biography, his bar's history, and the emergence of cocktails in Japanese culture. The recipe section begins with a sampling of highballs including melon-lime soda or a yuzu spritz and the recommendation that they be served in beer mugs so that warm fingers only touch the handle, ensuring the drinks stay icy cold. Among Urushido's creations, the Panda Fizz exemplifies the conundrum of a drink that is popular at his watering hole, but tricky for the home bartender who doesn't have pandan leaves or Calpico concentrate on hand. (Though a resource guide for tracking down obscure ingredients is included.) A chapter of drinks created by his friends is set apart from his own inventions, meaning, for instance, that two negroni recipes are separated by some 100 pages. This collection will be catnip for those who like their tipples with an Asian twist, though finding one's favorites will require some clawing.