#japanese bartending

[andrewgalbraith]

"The Way of the Cocktail" - A Documentary About Japanese Bartending

[obsessionist]

Ishinohana Bar Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

Bartender makes "Claudia" and "Sapphire Forest"

I was watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and in this 2008 episode, Anthony was wandering around Japan. One of the segments reminded of how awesome and inspiring Japanese bartending is. Japanese bartending is truly something special in that their style is composed of pure beauty and class. It is a true display of their attention to detail--a trait shared by many people of Japan. Watch the video.

Observe how the extravagant garnish is prepared and how the liquor is quickly but carefully poured out through a spoutless top and into the tin, then placed next to the glass with the label of the bottle facing toward the customer. Notice how no ice is added to the drink in the tin until he finishes the second drink as to not dilute the spirits and juices. Note that the bartender quickly chills the martini glass before placing the ice into the tin, followed by a signature shake that delivers the perfect amount of chill to the cocktail. The tin is poured into the glass and the finishing touches are added. The result is pure elegance in every cocktail made, even in the most simplest of pours of whiskey or scotch.

When customers come to a bar like this and pay $15-$18 per drink, it is to experience the bartender's art and not to quickly booze up. Everything has a specificity to it from their appearance to the lighting and the wood grain of the bar. There is a specific motion and rhythm to each step in making a cocktail and their pours are perfect no matter how many drinks they have to scale it to. And at the end of the day, their vests and collared white dress shirts remain pristine.

What's the point of all this you might ask? It's a display of their heart and character, really. In Japan there are plenty of small places to booze up and leave merry, but there are also little gems like Ishinohana that will leave you in awe. With no natural resources in their country, Japan survives through its culture. Bartending is just one facet of it.

Whenever I bartend I strive to replicate the perfection of every movement that these classy Japanese bartenders exhibit. However, there is not enough time in a busy restaurant and much of the time I end up looking like I poured half of the drinks on myself by the end of the day. The best I can do is to try to come as close to a perfect pour as possible and deliver a cold, properly-made drink with some garnish in a fairly quick fashion. Their art of bartending is something I would like to master in the future.