Umami Mart

Last weekend we hosted some people from my husband’s work for a little late afternoon cocktail party. While Jack set up the bar on the deck, I put together some snacks. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I went for colorful and easy: crudite and several dips, cheeses garnished with fresh herbs, dates, […]

Mr. Thad Vogler needs no introduction. He is a leading barman in the Bay Area and beyond, who opened Bar Agricole in San Francisco in 2011. Named after agricole rum (rum made with 100% raw cane sugar), Thad has put his heart, soul, personal philosophies, and many years of experience into the restaurant — which […]

Here is Part Deux in our Tokyo-SF Bartender Salon Series. Meet Monsieur Tomokazu Kai, bartender at Heuga Bar in Gifu, Japan. Mr. Kai won the 2011 Suntory Cocktail Award, and his prize was a trip to SF and NYC. Gifu is a way’s away from Tokyo, a city just north of Nagoya, but clearly it is […]

“To live and eat in LA, it’s the place to be; You’ve got to be there to know it, what everybody wanna eat” – Tupac Alright, alright, Tupac didn’t say “eat”. But instead of talking about hoes and tricks, he should have rapped more importantly about the bounty of food to be found in LA. […]

I just got back from a weekend in NYC, for a very important Umamimart Reunion Dinner, hosted by Yamahomo (post coming!). Even though I really only had two full days in the city, I bounced around and hit some of my favorite haunts. It felt good to be back, if only for a few days. […]

Are ya’ll sick of hearing about fundraisers for Japan yet? Well, get over it–Japan needs us right now and we absolutely must do what we can to support it. You don’t hear me get all up on my soapbox very often, but for this, Umamimart must. And it doesn’t get easier than SIPPIN’ ON A […]

One of my most vivid alcohol-related memories is going to Kyoto in the summer of 2003 and trying my first oolong-hai. My dad’s third wife turned me on to the oolong-hai the moment she casually ordered me a tall glass as we sat in an izakaya overlooking the Kamo river after a long day of […]

Photos by Erin Gleeson. On a balmy, quiet Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn, we had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Louis Smeby, founder of A.B. Smeby Bittering Co., for a tasting of his extensive line of bitters. When we all settled down in Quarter Bar‘s charming back yard, there was one glaring question on […]

By Paystyle Originally posted on March 3, 2010 *I am especially fond of this post because it has reunited long lost family members (almost). Please make sure to read the comments. It’s incredible. In the world of mixology, there aren’t many cocktails based on Cognac relative to the other spirits.  I can count less than […]

By Paystyle Originally posted on October 2, 2009 Last week I had the distinct honor of being one of five NYC mixologists chosen by Gothamist for a special event involving three of my favorite entities: Scotch, cocktails, and Rachel Maddow. The event was held in the private Gonzo Room (named after the late great Hunter […]