Category: bars

  • Bars in Japan: Standing and Highball Bars

    On my five-day visit to Japan with Suntory whiskies I hit 21 bars by my count. I am talking about them in groups. Next up: Standing and Highball Bars.

    The difference between the various styles of bars is subtle and I'm defining them as I see them. I'll be describing whisky bars, cocktail bars, highball and standing bars, and pubs/clubs/dives. As far as I can tell, highball bars are all standing bars but I'd imagine there are standing bars that don't specialize in highballs. 

    As you can guess, standing/highball bars are bars in which everyone is standing up drinking at tall tables rather than seated. They are popular after-work bars. Perhaps they're Japanese happy hour bars. 

    Anyway, in Kyoto we went to a bar called Getto, which is a pretty great name. The bar is as big as a hallway, with lots of traditional Japanese beverages. You stand up the whole time but are essentially leaning against the wall behind you. 

    Getto bar Kyoto Japan_tn

    There I tried aged awarami, a beverage from Okinawa that is aged in ceramic containers. It tastes like shochu for the most part. A little gamey but nothing special. 

    Getto bar Kyoto Japan2_tn

    I also tried kokutojochu, which is sugar cane schochu fermented with rice mold. Basically, it's Batavia arrack and I wanted to see if it tasted the same. More or less! It was, as expected, completely disgusting, like fermented sweatsocks

    However, the cucumber was awesome.

    Getto bar Kyoto Japan cucumber_tn

    Gindaka is a highball bar in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. It's  basically a take-out restaurant with one window facing the street and another into a tiny room for standing customers. They have a tap that serves highballs of Yamazaki 10 and Suntory Whisky (a blended whisky sometimes called "koku" which means "box" as the bottle is short and squareish.)

    Shinjuko tokyo2_tn
    (This is the neighborhood where Gindaka is located. Busy, to say the least.)

    Gindaka highball bar shinjuko tokyo on tap_tn
    (Highballs on tap, with Suntory Premium Malts beer also on tap in the middle.)

    Sign at gindaka highball bar shinjuko tokyo_tn
    (Koku bottle in ad.)

     When they served us the Koku, it came with a lemon slice, served in a plastic mug. For the Yamazaki 10, they put it in a highball glass. And when we ordered a highball with Hakushu 10 they put it in the same glass with a tiny piece of mint on top. A nice little indicator that you've moved up in your drinking choice.

    Highball of suntory at gindaka highball bar shinjuko tokyo_tn
    (First drink with Suntory Whisky.)

    Highball of yamazaki 10 gindaka highball bar shinjuko tokyo_tn
    (Second highball, Yamazaki 10 in highball glass.)

    Hakushu 10 mint garnish gindaka highball bar shinjuko tokyo_tn
    (Hakushu 10 highball, with tiny mint garnish.)

    Marugine, my hosts tell me, is the most famous highball bar in Japan. It's what I would call 'regular bar' sized, but with all tall communal tables for standing and eating or drinking. 

    Marugine highball bar tokyo_tn

     As this was my sixth bar of the evening, I am a little hazy about any other details. 

    Marugine highball bar tokyo2_tn

  • Bars in Japan: Cocktail Bars

    On my five-day visit to Japan with Suntory whiskies I hit 21 bars by my count. I am talking about them in groups. Next up: Cocktail Bars.

    The difference between the various styles of bars is subtle and I'm defining them as I see them. I'll be describing whisky bars, cocktail bars, highball and standing bars, and pubs/clubs/dives. Many cocktail bars look pretty much like whisky bars, since so many bars carry a massive amount of scotch. 

    Bar High Five is run by Japan's most famous bartender, Hidetsugu Ueno (Ueno-san). It was voted one of the world's 50 best bars. It's a tiny little place located in a building full of bars.

    Bar high five tokyo sign2_tn

    It only seats about a dozen people at the bar, plus there is an additional booth that can hold about eight more people. The mood inside was great – people complain about the formality of Japanese bartenders but I've found that when you're sitting at the bar it's fine to chat and laugh and have a good time with them. 

    Unfortunately we were only here for one drink as we were a large group at that point and didn't feel like we should hog the whole place. Someday I will be back for longer! 

    Bar high five tokyo camper and uena san_tn
    (At least Ueno-san looks good in this picture.)

    Tender Bar is owned by Japan's other most famous bartender, Kazuo Uyeda (Uyeda-san). This bar is classy and weighty and feels expensive; the Pegu Club to High Five's PDT. 

    Tender bar tokyo sign_tn

    Though I was tempted to order Uyeda's famous Gimlet, I opted for a Jack Rose that came out dry, as opposed to my bar-mate's surprisingly delicious bitters-free Manhattan. 

    Tender bar tokyo drink2_tn

    Uyeda-san's wife was our host for the evening and her English was quite good. I had met them both in New York for a 2-day seminar on Japanese bartending. 

    Bar Orange, near Shibuya in Tokyo, is a nearly-hidden downstairs cocktail bar. It's dedicated to the movie Clockwork Orange though you'd not call it a theme bar. It's very sleek and dark and I'd imagine attracts a stylish young crowd. The cocktails are served in gorgeous vintage-looking glasses. 

    Bar orange tokyo_tn

    Bar orange tokyo cocktail_tn

    Ishi no hana was the most progressive bar we visited in Japan. It's run by bartender Shinobu Ishigaki, who won the Bacardi Grand Prix competition a few years ago with this drink:

     
    Ishinohana bar roppongi tokyo cocktail2_tn
    (That is some serious garnish.)

    I had an Apple Vinegar Martini, while my bar companion had a Yellow Chartreuse Mojito. Other ingredients on the menu include rhubarb confit, jasmine, saffron syrup, and earl grey tea. 

    Ishinohana bar roppongi tokyo garnish_tn

     The bartender Shinobu Ishigaki even has his face on a can of a green tea beverage called calpis sour.

    Beverage by bartender shinobu ishigaki_tn

    While the Ginza bars of Tender Bar, High Five, and Star Bar get all the glory, visitors to Tokyo should definitely put this one on their list. 

     

     

  • Bars in Japan: Whisky Bars

    On my five-day visit to Japan with Suntory whiskies I hit over 20 bars. I think the best way to talk about them will be in groups. First up: Whisky Bars.

    The difference between the various styles of bars is subtle and I'm defining them as I see them. I'll be describing whisky bars, cocktail bars, highball and standing bars, and pubs/clubs/dives. I only hit one or two izakaya places. 

    Whisky bars specialize in whisky, of course. Most of them have a huge range of single-malt scotch whisky (100 different bottles is a start) and also serve whisky highballs. Many have a cocktail list too, but typically these list just a few classic drinks like Martinis, Manhattans, and Gimlets. The focus is on whisky rocks and whisky highballs. 

    Whisky bars I didn't visit include ones with names like Bar Argyll, Bar Caol Ila, Bar Main Malt, Cask, Kask, and Malt House Islay. Many are associated with either Yamazaki or Nikka whisky and will serve a better selection of those whiskies than of the other brand. It's sort of like how fast food restaurants usually serve either Coke or Pepsi but not both. 

    Highlander, one of the bars in the fabulous Hotel Okura Tokyo, has red plaid carpet and a clubby, old-world look. I tried a few interesting whiskies there, including the stunning Hibiki 21 year old blended Japanese whisky. 

    Highlander bar
    (Image from the hotel's website.)

    K6, in Kyoto near the Yamazaki whisky, is an upstairs bar with shelves around three sides that stocks 600 single malts! We had a nice chat with the bartender and a few unusual drams. And then we ordered haggis pizza, because if offered Scottish food in Italian format in a bar in Japan you just say yes. 

    Bar K6 kyoto japan_tn

    Oil is in a special place in Tokyo called Shinjuku Golden Gai. It is full of tiny bars stacked on top of each other, many the size of a bedroom. Some welcome regulars only; others are open to tourists. Some of them you're practically climbing a latter to get into.

    Golden Gai Tokyo Japan bar directory_tn
    (Bar directory of Golden Gai.)

    I got a feeling my hosts were not all that interested in taking me there, but there I went. We went to two bars, Oil and Bigri Bar (that I'll talk about later).

    Oil bar Golden Gai Tokyo Japan2_tn

    Oil serves two things for the most part: Jack Daniels and Triangle Shochu. You can buy a bottle and have it there waiting for you on your next visit. The bartender, who appears to be the main owner as his picture is all over the place, is a heavily-tattooed, long haired rock and roll type. The rest of the decor is dedicated to actor Yusaku Matsuda, who was in the 1989 movie Black Rain

    Bartender from oil bar Golden Gai Tokyo Japan_tn
    (Cartoon of the bartender.)

    When I ordered a whisky on the rocks expecting scorn and derision from too-cool-for-school guy, he took a large, perfectly clear piece of ice, put it into a tumbler glass, carefully stirred it with a barspoon a full minute or so to cool the glass, and poured the whisky. Nicely done. 

    Jack on the rock oil bar Golden Gai Tokyo Japan_tn

    There are several bars called Yamazaki Bar so I'm not sure how to identify this one by address, but it was staffed with all women bartenders wearing suits. So it's not really a "hostess bar" where you are paying for female company.

    Bar yamazaki2 tornado style_tn

    Anyway, they do a very nice presentation for whisky on the rocks. They call it "tornado" style when they serve it with a few big pieces of ice in an oversized Bordeaux wine glass. Then you can have it "pierced"- they bring out a box of garnishes and you can choose from them. They include simple miniature roses,  raspberries, lime/orange slices, mint, and you can dip any of the above in a little caramel or honey. 

    Bar yamazaki garnish2_tn

    It was a classy, easy, and affordable way to make a drink on the rocks a little more special. 

    Next post: Cocktail bars!

  • Three SF Bars Reviewed on DiffordsGuide

    I wrote a new bar report for CLASS Magazine online. 

    It includes short reviews of Jasper's Corner Tap, Harry Denton's Starlight Room, and Wo Hing General Store. 

    The story is here

  • Slow Bars Getting Faster, Fast Bars Getting Better

    In my story in this Sunday's SF Chronicle, I discuss some ways that cocktail bars are trying to build drinks faster, and how nightclub-type spaces are trying to make better quality cocktails without slowing down.

    In theory, we appreciate the extra time and effort bartenders spend on their cocktails – using exact measures of ingredients, thorough shaking or long stirring, and general attention to detail.

    But alas, reality.

    "People are becoming more accepting of waiting for quality cocktails, but I don't think anybody really wants to wait for anything at all, ever," says Justin Lew.

    The story includes mention of how they do it at The Wilson, the Hideout at Dalva, Azul, Rye, and Rickhouse.

    Michael Callahan kills it with the end quote. Put it in your brain here

    Callahan
     (Photo: Alex Washburn / The Chronicle)

  • Annoucing: SpeakEZ! Prohibition Pubs

    This is a project I've been consulting on for several months- time for the big announcement!

    [For those of you just discovering this, take note of the date of this post…]

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Ramada Inn Launches New Dining Concept in 18 US Locations: SpeakEZ! Prohibition Pubs

    Aberdeen, SD, April 1, 2011 –Great restaurant chains are founded on great ideas. Tiki drinks created by Donn Beach provided the inspiration for the Trader Vic's empire. Fern bars that began with Henry Africa's begat T.G.I.Friday's, Houlihan's, and Bennigan's.

    Today, in a style inspired by speakeasy bars Death & Company, Bourbon & Branch, and PDT (Please Don't Tell), Ramada Inn is proud to announce SpeakEZ! Prohibition Pubs, a series of cocktail and dining experience centers opening in 18 US hotel locations this May, with a planned expansion to 35 locations by the end of 2012. 

    SpeakEZyellowbackground
    SpeakEZ! Prohibition Pubs celebrate American Prohibition, a time period when jazz music thrived, flappers danced, and mobsters threw all the best parties. Each SpeakEZ! Prohibition Pub will  have unique "secrets" including hidden dining areas like replica bank vaults, one-way mirrors, and special menu items only available with the password. All experience centers will share menu and design elements including:

    • Bartenders and servers in mustaches, suspenders and bowties or flapper dresses.
    • "Hidden" restrooms behind sliding bookcases.
    • Cocktails served in teacups, coffee mugs, and flasks inside hollowed-out books.
    • Soda guns that look like Tommy guns and salt and pepper shakers in the shape of shotgun shells.
    • Birthday party "police raids" on special request.
    • Secret Passwordz (TM) Just-For-Kids Menu.
    • Unlimited Frozen Hemmingway Daiquiri specials at happy hour.
    • Breakfast specials including Flapper-Jacks (TM) and Grits Gatsby (TM).
    • Beverage pairing menu items, including Charles Lindbergh Cheese Sticks (TM) with our I'll Take Manhattan(TM), and Mustache Curly Fries(TM) with Slip Me a Rickey(TM)
    • Thin WoMan (TM) low-carb cocktail menu

    All SpeakEZ Prohibition Pubs will embody our motto: "Good Times Are Not Prohibited."

    -END-

    About Ramada Inn: Ramada Inn is part of the Wyndham Worldwide group. Wyndham Worldwide is one of the world's largest hospitality companies across six continents. We offer individual consumers and business customers a broad array of hospitality products and services as well as various accommodation alternatives and price ranges through our premier portfolio of world-renowned brands. For more information, contact press manager Avril Phule.

  • Bits and Pieces from Winter Drinking Guide in 7×7 Magazine

    My San Francisco winter drinking guide in 7×7 Magazine is coming online in bits and pieces.

    Whiskey

    Here are some:

  • Winter Drinking Guide in 7×7 Magazine

    Oh hello, giant sexy four-page spread in the December issue of 7×7 Magazine written by Camper English!

    7x7december2010

    Run screaming to your local newsstand to pick up the latest issue with a guide to winter drinking. In it you'll learn:

    • Where to get your fancy on in a hotel bar
    • The best hot drinks in SF
    • Bars with rooms for rent
    • The bar with 1200 Santa Claus dolls on display
    • How I worked the phrase "plaid-slathered" into a bar review
    • Gift ideas from local liquor stores
    • The best bar for hungover bartender spotting 
  • The Bar Agricole Bar Staff

    This coming week is the pre-opening of Bar Agricole, the big big big restaurant/bar project from Thad Vogler about which I am very excited. Bar Agricole opens on August 16th (15th according to the SF Chronicle)

    BarAgricole

    I asked Vogler about his bar staff- and got a surprise. All the bartenders will work full-time at Bar Agricole. I know three of the crew pretty well already, and have a feeling I'll get to know the two others soon enough. 

    The Bar Agricole Bar Staff:

    • Ben Krupp (Camino, Slanted Door)
    • Rosa Lynley (Farallon, Slanted Door)
    • Eric Johnson (Eastside West, Bourbon & Branch, Delarosa, Beretta, Heaven's Dog)
    • Craig Lane (Farallon, Heaven's Dog, Slanted Door)
    • Thad Vogler (Slanted Door, Bourbon & Branch, Beretta, Camino, Farallon, Jardiniere, Bardessano, Heaven's Dog)
  • Bar Eras in San Francisco and Beyond

    I have a great-looking four-page story in the August Eat + Drink issue of 7×7 Magazine. 

    The story splits up old bars and new bars inspired by old bars into five types/eras: Barbary Coast, Speakeasy,  Martini Bar, Tiki Bar, and Fern Bar. In each category I list some identifying factors and a few era-appropriate drinks. 

     There are also tons of great pictures by photographer Erin Kunkel, including these yanked from the 7×7 website. 

    Read the story online here or pick up the magazine on the newsstand for even more pictures than on the website. 

    Barbary coast bars in san francisco
    Fern bars in san franicsco history
      
    Tiki bars in san francisco history