Omakase-Style Cocktail Service: All You Need To Know About This Japanese Art
One of the finest and most stylish culinary experiences within the ambit of Japanese cuisine is the omakase-style service. This essentially translates into a dining experience offered at sushi restaurants which follow the ‘I leave it up to you’ practice, and curate a dish tailored exclusively to the patron’s taste preferences. Is it any wonder then that such an exquisite and elegant method has been picked up by mixologists for practicing omakase-style cocktail service?
This serving experience involves sitting down at a bar, often with limited seating capacity, and conversing with the bartender about your taste preferences, preferred spirits and most favoured flavour profiles. With this, the bartender can come up with a series of customised drinks, sans a menu, to offer those seated a personalised cocktail in a rather elegant tasting experience.
Oftentimes, an omakase cocktail is one which works well as an aperitif or as a pre-dinner drink complete with light, fresh and citrus-forward flavours. Other times, if served while sitting at a dinner table, it can be finished off with some molecular mixology for those who prefer such experimental drinks, and once in a while, it can also be part of the dessert course and feature some creamy and chocolatey notes.
Now, if you are one of those curioso bartending enthusiasts looking for something elegant yet inventive to level up your mixology, an omakase-style experience might just be the home hosting endeavour you are looking for.
So, here are some notes on how to go about crafting such an omakase experience for guests, including some essential tips involved in the process:
Always Go With A Short Interview
One of the first steps involved in curating a precise omakase-style bar is to interview the guests seated for this experience. This means asking them their preferred choice of spirit, their mood which most often determines their most current flavour preferences and of course, ingredient options which they like, and which their drinks are best left without.
Make It Theatrical
What is most interesting about this experience is that cocktails are crafted right in front of guests. This means there is ample room to introduce a bit of theatricality that adds a lot of flair to the whole event. Go for smoked drinks, carbonation, fat washing and using dehydrated ingredients to build this dramatic flourish into the process.
For instance, here is a simple way to craft a recipe for an old fashioned like cocktail with a touch of smoke:
Ingredients:
- 30 ml premium bourbon
- 10 ml tamarind pulp
- Dash of bitters
- 15 ml lime juice
- Ice as required
- Orange peel for garnish
- Smoke gun for smoking
Method:
– In a cocktail mixer, bring together 30 ml premium bourbon, 10 ml tamarind pulp, a dash of bitters and 15 ml lime juice with a bit of ice. Stir well. Transfer into a rocks glass and garnish with an orange peel. Then, gently, using the smoke gun, introduce this vapoury element in the cocktail which will slightly burn the orange peel. This will release a deep citrusy aroma which seeps into the drink.
Converse With Guests
What makes such a dramatic cocktail making exercise truly interesting is walking guests through the whole process. Interacting with them builds into the personalised touch the omakase experience offers and they become more intrigued and involved as an element like smoke is added to their customised blend.
Despite all this know-how, some questions do come up even as this process goes under way such as:
How is omakase different from ‘bartender’s choice’?
– Bartender’s choice gets you one drink made to your taste preferences. Omakase is an experience which generally offers multiple drinks that are ordered, tailored to one’s most current flavour choices.
How long does this experience take?
– Omakase generally spans between an hour to two hours depending upon the number of drinks prepared and the number of guests in attendance. If food pairings are involved, the experience may take longer.
What kind of food is served at such an experience?
– Generally, amuse bouches or sushi are among the most preferred choices at such a cocktail experience. However, in case the drink preferences are those which cater to a more desi vibe, you can always go for chaat or pakoda-like munchies as complementary food choices.
Is a deep knowledge of cocktails required to participate?
– Yes and no. As a budding mixologist hosting this event, such knowledge is always appreciated, but if you are attending an omakase gathering as a guest, a basic understanding of your own taste preferences would work wonders towards bringing you drinks which are simultaneously innovative and uniquely customised.
Also Read: Japanese Cuisine And Citrus Cocktails: 5 Grilled Foods And Citrus Drink Pairings
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
