Trouble Maker
Addicted to Fun and Learning
I went on a pilgrimage over the weekend.
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Spirits, what you drinking...
- Thread starter Soniclife
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- Oct 20, 2019
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Yeah, that's epic!
watchnerd
Grand Contributor
Trouble Maker
Addicted to Fun and Learning
So, a little more detail since I have a few more minutes. I saw this video when it was first posted about 9 years ago and I immediately knew I wanted to drink this at some point in my life. I love cocktails, rum, cigars; this has all of some of my favorite vices all wrapped up into 1.
I worked for a Japanese company (tier 1 supplier) at the time. They rarely sent people on overseas business trips, so while coming here was a possibility it wasn't likely. Fast forward 2 years and I moved to the OEM, who sent people to Japan much more often. Still, this bar is 3.5~4 hours from Tokyo by train and 5 hours from home base here. So it's not realistic on a business trip, especially when you are usually traveling with a few other people so wants and needs of everyone has to be considered. About 2 years ago I moved groups, and shortly after we started working on a plan for me to do a 1 year+ assignment here, which started about a year ago. So, finally I was able to go here and have this drink! Many chance points and work had to happen between there and here to get to this point. A lot of the best things in life happen by circumstances like that.
Then we go there and I ask for the drink! But I get a (traditional gin) Martinez. I speak some Japanese, enough to get around, but the culture and language barrier is still hard to penetrate sometimes. We get dinner, it and the rest of the drinks were superb. My better half likes whiskey but the usual highball in restaurants here is not good, the ones she had here were the best we've had in Japan. I give them my typical story since many people are very interested about what we are doing here, especially considering the times. Sometimes just curious, but recently more frequently worried that somehow we traveled form the US recently even though that's impossible. Towards end I pull out the embarrassing foreigner card and ask specifically for the drink by showing the video. They go back and get the guy who runs the place who made this drink. I imagine the conversation went something like 'there's a foreigner living 5 hours away asking for that drink again'. He was also the cook that day since it was the usual cooks day off. He seemed very happy to have us from relatively far away and make one of his signature drinks and we had a really nice conversation. It was everything I could have hoped for. I was actually worried it would be overpowering on the smoke side. I really don't like mezcal for example. We had a small bond over this, he seems annoyed that it's recently popular here because of 1 famous bartender from Tokyo. But the amount of smoke flavor imparted was perfect. I usually smoke a few cigars a year, but I haven't since we came here; availability and being in an apartment don't really lend to it. The optional small cigar paired with it was a perfect compliment, and a perfect last drink to cap off the journey to get here.
While it was an excellent drink, nothing can really fully match expectations or effort for something like this. It is definitely one of those experiences that is as much if not more about the journey as the experience. Which is probably the mark of a pilgrimage as well as I can imagine the essence of that word.
I worked for a Japanese company (tier 1 supplier) at the time. They rarely sent people on overseas business trips, so while coming here was a possibility it wasn't likely. Fast forward 2 years and I moved to the OEM, who sent people to Japan much more often. Still, this bar is 3.5~4 hours from Tokyo by train and 5 hours from home base here. So it's not realistic on a business trip, especially when you are usually traveling with a few other people so wants and needs of everyone has to be considered. About 2 years ago I moved groups, and shortly after we started working on a plan for me to do a 1 year+ assignment here, which started about a year ago. So, finally I was able to go here and have this drink! Many chance points and work had to happen between there and here to get to this point. A lot of the best things in life happen by circumstances like that.
Then we go there and I ask for the drink! But I get a (traditional gin) Martinez. I speak some Japanese, enough to get around, but the culture and language barrier is still hard to penetrate sometimes. We get dinner, it and the rest of the drinks were superb. My better half likes whiskey but the usual highball in restaurants here is not good, the ones she had here were the best we've had in Japan. I give them my typical story since many people are very interested about what we are doing here, especially considering the times. Sometimes just curious, but recently more frequently worried that somehow we traveled form the US recently even though that's impossible. Towards end I pull out the embarrassing foreigner card and ask specifically for the drink by showing the video. They go back and get the guy who runs the place who made this drink. I imagine the conversation went something like 'there's a foreigner living 5 hours away asking for that drink again'. He was also the cook that day since it was the usual cooks day off. He seemed very happy to have us from relatively far away and make one of his signature drinks and we had a really nice conversation. It was everything I could have hoped for. I was actually worried it would be overpowering on the smoke side. I really don't like mezcal for example. We had a small bond over this, he seems annoyed that it's recently popular here because of 1 famous bartender from Tokyo. But the amount of smoke flavor imparted was perfect. I usually smoke a few cigars a year, but I haven't since we came here; availability and being in an apartment don't really lend to it. The optional small cigar paired with it was a perfect compliment, and a perfect last drink to cap off the journey to get here.
While it was an excellent drink, nothing can really fully match expectations or effort for something like this. It is definitely one of those experiences that is as much if not more about the journey as the experience. Which is probably the mark of a pilgrimage as well as I can imagine the essence of that word.
Trouble Maker
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Yeah, things are... very different here than US right now. We are moving back at the end of next month and It's going to be a shock for sure.
Try to find the Amrut Orange if you can. It is special.
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Thank you very much for the wonderful story! I enjoyed it.
There's something about Japanese bartending - they execute the classics well but don't shy away from more sophisticated techniques done with refinement and restraint. Too many times have I been to a bar and felt they were trying too hard to show off, while compromising on the overall balance of the end product. I once had an absinthe-and-yoghurt cocktail that felt like the components had split - nauseating. Asia has a fantastic cocktail scene, Japan especially. I've heard wonderful things about Scotch bars in Japan as well.
Tks
Major Contributor
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It five o’clock…Here! Happy Friday. I’m drinking the Bunnahabhain 12 again. 
A distillery I'm fond of, and it was on sale. $65 for the 1L travel retail bottle, because airport outlets here have been absorbing duties to free up warehouse space and get some revenue amidst greatly-reduced passenger volume.
Also, Ledaig 10, Tobermory 10, Bunna 12, Deanston 12 and a cask-strength Edradour NAS are on sale elsewhere locally. Which are worth getting?
The best' classic ' London dry gin I have had ..
Yes there's loads more fancy and i like some of them too albeit for very different reasons but this is a hit for what it is .
Can’t go wrong with this!
Well I'm doing half a bottle a day so that's probably' going wrong ' ha ha
Also it's under £20 a bottle in the local co-op, I really like it . Just a tasty refreshing gin . Hits the spot .
I like that, got through too much in the lockdown.. had to ' take a break ' ha haIt five o’clock…Here! Happy Friday. I’m drinking the Bunnahabhain 12 again.
I can relate (and to your post below); I was going through a bottle of scotch far too often for a while there.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gin_Craze
OP
- Thread Starter
- #238
No, no, yes, don't know x2.
Let's get them all and save wisdom for regret
