Photo by Ken30684/Flickr CC
I have to admit that after a trip to the High Five Bar, I'm swooning over the "Japanese Way" of bartending. Perhaps it leads me to my biggest faux pas of the evening. When assistant bartender Karita Kazuki of Tender Bar asks me whether I think American bartenders or Japanese bartenders are better, I begrudgingly say, "Japanese."
My wife reminds me that my decision may be guided more by fascination than fact, and I need to learn more before I let my gimlet do the talking. But the truth is, after visiting the top bars in Tokyo I believe that these bars have a sense of detail and service that rivals if not bests America's top bars, at least the ones I know and frequent.
When I order a Blood and Sand, he comments through his assistant that it's a classic that is rarely ordered by his regular clientele. Still, it is perfectly made.What really went to my head isn't necessarily the alcohol but watching Tender Bar's master bartender Kazuo Ueda's rigorous "hard shake," which has been described in detail elsewhere. It's mesmerizing and the result is undeniably delicious. His gimlet is made of Gordon's gin, fresh lime juice and sugar syrup, which some would argue is not a true gimlet except that when you take a sip you're transported--this is a gimlet. The aromatic profile is a tad more generous then using preserved lime but the consistency is weighty and seamless. Sailors would have been lucky to drink this cocktail on a long voyage.
Tender Bar is a sleek, stylish lounge with an army of white-tuxedo-clad bartenders catering to fewer than 35 seats. Despite the language barrier, Ueda-san is a marvelous host. His interest in his guests is high. Ueda-san congratulates us upon learning that we were recently married. When I order a Blood and Sand, he comments through his assistant that it's a classic that is rarely ordered by his regular clientele. Still, it is perfectly made.
Ueda-san has been bartending for 45 years, graduating Bartending School in 1966. He is a spry 64 years old. He further learned as an apprentice to Mr. Kiyoshi Imai, also known as "Mr. Martini." The craft of bartending in Japan is something young bartenders must study and perfect before they gain Ueda's post. Ueda-san is both the head bartender/owner of Tender Bar since 1996 and very active in the Japanese bartending community, and he's published several books.
The craft of bartending reached Japan at the height of America's bartender culture, at the end of the 19th century. Some would argue that a German bartender, Louis Eppinger, who tended bar in San Francisco and was a contemporary of the great William "Cocktail Bill" Boothby, helped to bring the craft to the island when he managed the Grand Hotel in Yokohama. What was forcefully abandoned here by prohibition was gleefully embraced in Japan, where it has overtones of the tea ceremony and sushi counters. They have copied classic bartending culture perfectly while adding their own cultural touches.
Regardless of my fascination, I do retract my statement. The U.S. has some of the best bartenders in the world, but the point is taken--the world has learned our craft and taken lessons to heart that some American bartenders have long forgotten. Fortunately, it's not a competition, and we can learn from each other. If you make it to Tokyo, drop by Tender Bar and enjoy the education of bartending master Kazuo Ueda by the glass.
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The only thing that counts in a bar is: bang for your buck.
How do you get the most alcohol for your dollar.
This is why $1.50 USD PBRs are so popular.
This is why you should only drink at a bar during happy hour and only drink the specials. The cheap specials.
If this were true than it is unlikely I would be bartending and that people would be drinking in bars to begin with, especially cocktail bars. As most alcoholics know, handles of Zelko or some other Russian-sounding vodka located in large jugs toward the bottom of the shelf, and reminiscent of the bottom of the barrel, provide the most bang for the buck at around $9.99 for a handle. That's nearly 40 servings at .25 cents a drink. That's $1.25 less then your extravagant buzz at $1.50.
PBR's resurgence is a combination of pricing, it's place as the largest American-owned brewery (although made in Africa), nostalgia and having been trendy amongst the hipster set, which means that non-hipsters clamor for it all the more. Least among these reasons is taste, although I would argue PBR is not among the worst beer in its class. In fact, some swear by the taste. While I'm not sure how cool PBR is anymore, canned beers are definitely popping up with greater frequency. Some of which are equally cost-prohibitive when it comes to getting bang for your buck.
If all that matters is bang for the buck, why not just drink at home?Drop that vodka in a Brita filter, or buy some 100 proof Wild Turkey with ginger ale or some other such.
I like to treat myself when I go out... Usually with a gin martini... I can make a decent one at home, but a good bartender can make one that's sublime. A gin martini from a great bartender is another experience altogether.
I wonder how much of your experience has to do with the fact that Kazuo Ueda is a professional bartender? As you say, he graduated from bartending school in the mid 60s and has worked as a bartender and cocktail author since. Here, bartending is all too often a job held by people between other jobs or college kids looking for some extra income. However, the few bars that do employ professonal bartenders stand out for their quality of service and drinks. So I'd say America's professional bartenders are every bit as good as Japan's, we just might not have as many.
Yes, interesting point. Of course, I have been to the U.S.'s top bars and met our top bartenders as well. There is a bit of apples to oranges. Japanese bartenders tend to be less creative in the same sense that American bartenders are and more technique and service focused. I just happen to value that very highly, but please note I was unequivocal toward the end that there are many outstanding American bartenders.