Umami Mart

It’s still winter in Brooklyn, and it’s colder than ever. Last I checked weather.com said it was 20 degrees with a windchill that makes it feel like 4 degrees (I wish I had the degree symbol on my keyboard so didn’t have to constantly type out the word “degree”). If you read my previous post, […]

It’s trash day in my neighborhood and I snapped some photos with my cell phone on my way to work – reminded that Japan loves beer. And what’s funny is that for every household’s aluminum can bin, there’s usually only one or two brands in it. Beer brand loyalty is huge in Japan. Like the […]

The marketing concept of drinking an ukon extract drink like Ukon no Chikara (rough translation: Tumeric’s Power) is to get over a wild night with fellow salarymen. The tagline on the bottle says “Let’s drink to everyday vitality!” (very ironic). I had one sitting on my desk at work for about 6 months, as a […]

It’s still cold as hell (or would that be heaven, since it’s the opposite of hell?) here in NY, and spring’s still a distant dream. So I figured while I can’t speed up time, I can at least travel back to when the winter was bearable, and when the possibility of receiving free things was […]

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I figured I’d have some strawberry liqueur on hand to toss in some cocktails, or if I’m feeling lazy, in some bubbly. And there’s no way better to do it than to make it yourself at home. Although I’m a little late on the planning of this, as I […]

I don’t pretend to know anything about wine, but I do drink lots of it. When choosing a bottle, I honestly just peruse the aisles with a puzzled look until I see a label that catches my eye. Next, I continue with the pricetag, grape(s), and country of origin. It may be superficial, but aesthetics […]

I’m a big fan of eggnog during the holidays (homemade, not store bought), but when the vibe calls for something a bit lighter and more refreshing without losing the flavors essential to the season, make a Gingerbread Cocktail instead. Here’s the recipe:Gingerbread Cocktail1 part vodka1 part Domaine de Canton3 parts apple ciderSplash of fresh lemon […]

Hoppy is a non-alcoholic beverage in Japan that tastes like beer. It’s been around since 1948, and was popularized as a cheap way to get drunk. How does one get drunk off of non-alcoholic beer, you ask? Add it to shochu, of course!!! (Shochu is the closest thing to vodka they make in Japan). Trust […]

Election day has come and gone, but the celebration parties are still going strong. So whether you’re celebrating the history-making inauguration of our first African-American prez, or you just want to drown your sorrows in booze after the electoral thumping of Mr. McCain, I present you with a couple of candidate-inspired cocktails that should be […]

Sepi (aka Jon Sublet) and Amira got engaged!!! To celebrate this momentous occasion, we popped open a special bottle of Juve y Camps cava that Marc brought back for me from Barcelona. So awesome of him! I had been saving it for a special moment, and this was IT. The wine was crisp and dry- […]