Umami Mart

While Jonathan and I were visiting the east coast for a wedding last week, we snuck away for a couple of nights to his family’s house in Vermont. New England is absolutely gorgeous this time of year. Blueberry-picking is a popular activity here during the month of August, and we found a stunning place to gather some […]

Fact: A gin and tonic is the quintessential summer cocktail. My grandmother Margaret knew this and would serve the iconic drink from a gallon handle of Gordon’s gin topping it off with a lime and Schweppes tonic water. She made the switch over from Rye Manhattans after Memorial Day and it was gin and tonics […]

The Cobbler is the elder statesman of summer cocktails. At its core, the Cobbler is a sour-style cocktail (spirit, citrus, sugar), which has spawned a host of delicious descendants. The most popular type during the drink’s hey day was the Sherry Cobbler. This libation was first chronicled by Jerry Thomas in his ground-breaking How to […]

Welcome to a special edition of Kayo’s Kitchen: Live from Hopkins Buffet! For those who follow our Instagram, you may have asked yourselves, “Where is the Hopkins Buffet?” Well, it’s Yoko’s house of course! God forbid she should name her place something bore-a-thon like Yoko’s Kitchen! I tested out a new cocktail creation recently in […]

Once upon a time in the Crescent City, there was a culinary institution and hotel named the La Louisiane Hotel and Restaurant down Iberville Street in the French Quarter. La Louisiane, as it was know to the locals, was opened in 1881 by Louis and Ann Bezaudun in an old wine merchants space. Their nephew […]

In honor of Umami Mart’s sixth anniversary/ lease-signing and the Japan Week celebration in NYC, this month we spotlight the Japanese Cocktail for Happy Hour. We will review the cocktail’s origins, its ingredients, and offer an improved adaptation that pays homage to Japan. Cocktail historian David Wondrich gives a through history of the libation in […]

One of my favorite places for a sunset cocktail in San Francisco is the historic Cliff House. First opened in 1863, it sits on the site of the Sutro Bath House ruins overlooking Ocean Beach. Go early for a walk around Lands End. It’s such a stunning spot! Back at the Cliff House, I recommend the bar downstairs, which faces […]

“Champagne for our real friends and real pains for our sham friends.” – A toast from Harry’s Bar in Paris circa 1920 This Valentine’s Day, make sure your pre or post-romantic dinner drink is the classic champagne cocktail. The French 75 is the grand dame of champagne cocktails and has been the basis for dozens […]

Wishing you a happy, healthy and peaceful holiday season. Cheers! Erin

Over the last decade the cocktail renaissance has spread across the country and helped turn bartending from a mere side-job for college students and aspiring actors into an honorable profession. It has also resurrected previously unknown names like Jerry Thomas and Harry Johnson by turning them into prophet-like figures, and their recipes have become gospel […]