Astute readers will pick up on the use of the indefinite article in my title. There were many, of course, and some were far more serious than the one I will discuss here. Before I proceed to that, though, I would like to share a little personal information with you. As some of you have … Continue reading A Shocking Revelation in 2025
Author: drinkingjapan
This is the blog about Drinking Japan by the authors of Drinking Japan: It's Not Just Sake available at fine bookstores everywhere and on Amazon Japan.
World Cocktail Day, May 13: Shake It, Stir It, Flambé It, or Frappé It, and Then Celebrate It!
Harry Croswell This happy occasion commemorates the day on which the word cocktail first appeared in print. That was May 13, 1806. Harry Croswell (1778-1858) was the man who first put pen to parchment, or something to that effect, and spelled out the word cocktail. Yes, that day in May is rapidly approaching. Celebrate it … Continue reading World Cocktail Day, May 13: Shake It, Stir It, Flambé It, or Frappé It, and Then Celebrate It!
Destination Kinmen
If there were a City of Baijiu, it would be a metropolis comprised of a number of baijiu-producing neighborhoods, scattered far and wide. Some would be producing baijius very different from those emerging from other regions. To express this in the altered words of the late-Jerry Lee Lewis, there’s a whole lotta variation going on. … Continue reading Destination Kinmen
On the Road to Baijiu
In March 2025 Esquire ran a short piece entitled “Baijiu for Beginners.” For me, this kind of article is a harbinger of sorts, doing the spadework in a land that might prove fertile ground for future baijiu sales. What better way to do this than to use a cocktail or cocktails as the delivery vehicles? … Continue reading On the Road to Baijiu
Proletarian Drift in Reverse: Of Hojicha and Unique Olive-Hojicha Tea from Gunma Prefecture
This is the last entry in our “Tea Series.” Today, we take a look at the output of a Gunma-based firm we wrote about relatively recently. The link is here:https://drinkingjapan.org/2026/01/29/the-olive-trees-of-gunma-and-their-oil/. We also turn our attention from matcha to hojicha. There was an academic back in the last century who coined the term “proletarian drift,” or … Continue reading Proletarian Drift in Reverse: Of Hojicha and Unique Olive-Hojicha Tea from Gunma Prefecture
Matcha Blind Tasting
Tea Party, Meiji Emperor and Empress, Toyohara Chikanobu This is the fourth entry in our “Tea Series.” At the JFEX Winter 2025 exhibition, we had an opportunity to chat briefly with the CEO of Artem, Inc, a purveyor of fine matcha. I asked for two samples, at opposite ends of the price spectrum in order … Continue reading Matcha Blind Tasting
The Lowdown on the Marvelous Matcha
Chanoyu Nichinichiso, Mizuno Toshikata The type of tea used to produce this temptation in a teacup is called “tencha.” The name is indicative of how it is processed. The first syllable, ten, refers to the stone mill that is used to grind the tea into a powder. Matcha is used in the tea ceremony, or … Continue reading The Lowdown on the Marvelous Matcha
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