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The Way of the Cocktail: Japanese Traditions, Techniques, and Recipes
With its studious devotion to tradition, craftsmanship, and hospitality, Japanese cocktail culture is an art form treated with reverence. In this essential guide, Japanese American bartender Julia Momosé of Kumiko and Kikkō in Chicago takes us on a journey into this realm. She educates and inspires while breaking down master techniques and delving into the soul of the culture: the traditions and philosophy, the tools and the spirits—and the complex layering of these elements that makes this approach so significant.
The recipes are inspired by the twenty-four micro-seasons that define the flow of life in Japan. Enter a world where the spiced woodsy cocktail called Autumn’s Jacket evokes the smoldering burn of smoking rice fields in fall, and where the Delicate Refusal tells the tale of spring’s tragic beauty, with tequila blanco and a flutter of sakura petals. Perfected classics like the Manhattan and Negroni, riffs on some of Japan’s most beloved cocktails like the Whisky Highball, and even alcohol-free drinks influenced by ingredients such as yuzu, matcha, and umé round out the collection.
The recipes are inspired by the twenty-four micro-seasons that define the flow of life in Japan. Enter a world where the spiced woodsy cocktail called Autumn’s Jacket evokes the smoldering burn of smoking rice fields in fall, and where the Delicate Refusal tells the tale of spring’s tragic beauty, with tequila blanco and a flutter of sakura petals. Perfected classics like the Manhattan and Negroni, riffs on some of Japan’s most beloved cocktails like the Whisky Highball, and even alcohol-free drinks influenced by ingredients such as yuzu, matcha, and umé round out the collection.
331 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 9, 2021
34 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 19, 2022
I got this book for Christmas in 2021 and then found myself reading it for the next week. I have quite a few excellent books on cocktails, like Death and Co's first book and their Cocktail Codex. I also have a few Tiki books such as the Smuggler's Cove book.
Those are all excellent. In particular, the Death and Co books are fantastic introductions to making cocktails. The Smuggler's Cove book is more intermediate; it does assume a certain level of familiarity and a willingness to do the fiddly stuff that elevates a cocktail from pretty good to great.
"The Way of the Cocktail" is another intermediate book. It does not introduce how to shake or stir a cocktail in depth, like the first Death and Co book does. It does an incredible job of introducing the reader to Japanese cocktail history, tools, and approach and how those differ from other approaches. I don't usually just read straight through cocktail books - I usually flip around until I've got a feel for them. But the first 100 pages of this book are that kind of background and I read straight through, fascinated.
The remaining portion of the book is composed of recipes, organized by season and microseason. I really like this - some of the drinks do require finding new ingredients or brands even if you've been making cocktails for a while. But you can focus on one drink at a time or at least one microseason. It's also really fun to see the different versions of classic drinks like Martinis and Daiquiris, fine tuned to particular seasons.
And overall, this is the best organized cocktail book in my collection. It's excellently cross referenced and set up. If there's a syrup that is only used for one drink, the recipe is placed with that drink recipe. For the more general syrups, they're at the end - but also include each drink they're used for, with page numbers. This means that the book is extremely usable and it's quick to figure out how many drinks you can make with a particular syrup or infusion.
The book also includes particular brands for almost every spirit mentioned. This was a little overwhelming at first, but I appreciate it on reflection. It's fairly easy to look up the particular brands mentioned and see what their flavor profile is, and then to make an informed substitution if I can't find the exact same spirit. In contrast, while I love Smuggler's Cove, it can be difficult to figure out which rum within a category best matches a particular drink. So, the brand names are really helpful to me.
As for the recipes themselves- they're easy to follow and they're good. I got the book in winter so I've focused on some of those recipes - the hot toddy riff with Campari, for instance, is excellent. I can't wait to make the rest of the recipes - at least, all the ones I can find ingredients for. I do think that could be a challenge if you're not in an area with a good liquor distributor such as Binnys or near a Japanese market.
If you're interested in learning about Japanese cocktails, along with the flavors and mindset that goes into them, I can't recommend this book enough. Fair warning, though - it may send you down a path of hunting down new bottles and tools to carve your own ice.
Those are all excellent. In particular, the Death and Co books are fantastic introductions to making cocktails. The Smuggler's Cove book is more intermediate; it does assume a certain level of familiarity and a willingness to do the fiddly stuff that elevates a cocktail from pretty good to great.
"The Way of the Cocktail" is another intermediate book. It does not introduce how to shake or stir a cocktail in depth, like the first Death and Co book does. It does an incredible job of introducing the reader to Japanese cocktail history, tools, and approach and how those differ from other approaches. I don't usually just read straight through cocktail books - I usually flip around until I've got a feel for them. But the first 100 pages of this book are that kind of background and I read straight through, fascinated.
The remaining portion of the book is composed of recipes, organized by season and microseason. I really like this - some of the drinks do require finding new ingredients or brands even if you've been making cocktails for a while. But you can focus on one drink at a time or at least one microseason. It's also really fun to see the different versions of classic drinks like Martinis and Daiquiris, fine tuned to particular seasons.
And overall, this is the best organized cocktail book in my collection. It's excellently cross referenced and set up. If there's a syrup that is only used for one drink, the recipe is placed with that drink recipe. For the more general syrups, they're at the end - but also include each drink they're used for, with page numbers. This means that the book is extremely usable and it's quick to figure out how many drinks you can make with a particular syrup or infusion.
The book also includes particular brands for almost every spirit mentioned. This was a little overwhelming at first, but I appreciate it on reflection. It's fairly easy to look up the particular brands mentioned and see what their flavor profile is, and then to make an informed substitution if I can't find the exact same spirit. In contrast, while I love Smuggler's Cove, it can be difficult to figure out which rum within a category best matches a particular drink. So, the brand names are really helpful to me.
As for the recipes themselves- they're easy to follow and they're good. I got the book in winter so I've focused on some of those recipes - the hot toddy riff with Campari, for instance, is excellent. I can't wait to make the rest of the recipes - at least, all the ones I can find ingredients for. I do think that could be a challenge if you're not in an area with a good liquor distributor such as Binnys or near a Japanese market.
If you're interested in learning about Japanese cocktails, along with the flavors and mindset that goes into them, I can't recommend this book enough. Fair warning, though - it may send you down a path of hunting down new bottles and tools to carve your own ice.
December 29, 2021
I always pick up Japanese cocktail books so I can see what they do with tea. There are some awesome drinks in here where Tea is used:
Hishimochi Bitters and Soda (uses Matcha)
Washitsu (uses Matcha)
Ryokucha-Hi (uses Cold-Brew Sencha)
Golden One (uses Cold-Brew Sencha)
Clarified Mezcal Milk Punch (uses Chilled Hojicha)
Yuzu Salty Dog (uses Matcha)
Cassis Oolong (uses Chilled Oolong)
Matcha Miruku (uses Matcha)
A couple of these are have a non-alcoholic option as well which is a nice touch.
Hishimochi Bitters and Soda (uses Matcha)
Washitsu (uses Matcha)
Ryokucha-Hi (uses Cold-Brew Sencha)
Golden One (uses Cold-Brew Sencha)
Clarified Mezcal Milk Punch (uses Chilled Hojicha)
Yuzu Salty Dog (uses Matcha)
Cassis Oolong (uses Chilled Oolong)
Matcha Miruku (uses Matcha)
A couple of these are have a non-alcoholic option as well which is a nice touch.
December 26, 2021
This cocktail book is so much more than that. The illustrations alone make purchasing the book worthwhile. Momosé's passion for her work is evident in the way she writes the backstory for the ingredients used to make drinks at Bar Kumiko. Her deep love of her home (Japan) shines in her storytelling. This book is lovely and would make a beautiful gift.
July 11, 2022
Puedo ver porqué se ha llevado todos los premios importantes dentro de la industria. Presenta una forma que nosotros, los habitantes que no viven o conocen Japon y su hospitalidad, no teníamos idea.
Y, definitivamente es algo que quisiera vivir alguna vez.
Y, definitivamente es algo que quisiera vivir alguna vez.
February 22, 2022
Fascinating. Detailed. Interesting reading.
April 15, 2022
Turns out running a good bar is correlated with writing a good book about making drinks.
July 19, 2023
Still working through all the cocktails listed, but I’ve finished the bulk of the text. Have visited Julia a few times now at her bar, Kumiko, and she’s the real deal. Lives what she writes. Her attitude toward detail-oriented bartending borders on the sacred; tavern and taphouse tenders will be offended and not care, and I’ve heard many lay out pages of criticism.
But I really believe we need variety. It’s not an either / or kind of thing, and I don’t think Julia’s approach to serious bartending is pretentious at all. After all, she was trained in Japan, where a full year is spent just learning to polish glasswear. If you hate that, don’t visit; but you can tell by the success of Kumiko that many folks really appreciate it, and I can’t really think of another bar like it. It’s as much an exercise in meditation as it is a night of indulgence. With America’s depressing, excessive attitudes toward alcohol, the drop in spirit qualities caused by late capitalism, and increasingly derogatory opinions toward the bar profession; maybe appreciation and reverence isn’t the worst thing. You can practically hear the bubbling of carbonation there. And unlike other disappointing high-profile Chicago bars (Violet Hour, Aviary), Kumiko is not about status; it’s about passion and quality. Still not everyone’s thing, and a challenge to many folks in the industry, but something I’m glad exists.
But I really believe we need variety. It’s not an either / or kind of thing, and I don’t think Julia’s approach to serious bartending is pretentious at all. After all, she was trained in Japan, where a full year is spent just learning to polish glasswear. If you hate that, don’t visit; but you can tell by the success of Kumiko that many folks really appreciate it, and I can’t really think of another bar like it. It’s as much an exercise in meditation as it is a night of indulgence. With America’s depressing, excessive attitudes toward alcohol, the drop in spirit qualities caused by late capitalism, and increasingly derogatory opinions toward the bar profession; maybe appreciation and reverence isn’t the worst thing. You can practically hear the bubbling of carbonation there. And unlike other disappointing high-profile Chicago bars (Violet Hour, Aviary), Kumiko is not about status; it’s about passion and quality. Still not everyone’s thing, and a challenge to many folks in the industry, but something I’m glad exists.
February 11, 2025
Quite interesting to read, wish I had more options available where I live so I could replicate more of the recipes. The way the author walks the reader through her thought process when transforming classics towards a more modern and japanese feel is nice.
September 17, 2022
!!!!!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews