What's your least favorite thing to make? I was bartending back when "The Big Lebowski" came out, and people kept coming in and asking for White Russians. I got so sick of White Russians. If I never have to make another one in my life, I'll be happy. But here, my least favorite things to make are margaritas, because they just don't go with anything. But the good thing is, we just don't have any crappy tequila. It's all good.
What's your favorite thing about bartending? They've given me the shifts Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays here, when it doesn't get three deep behind the bar, so I get to engage my guests. I love to taste all night long with the people who sit at the bar. I'll say, "Try this Reisling with that. It'll blow your mind." It opens a lot of my guests' eyes to how drinks can pair with this food.
What's it like serving so much sake here? People are often more into doing sake bombs when, in fact, sake has these amazing, beautiful nuances, much like wine has. I started learning about sake at this sushi restaurant in Austin off of Congress. And then, of course, when I got hired at Uchi, I learned almost everything there is to learn about sake, and my appreciation for it deepened. I became sort of a sake samurai while I was there.
If you could share a drink with anyone -- living, dead or fictional -- who would it be, and why? Ernest Hemingway. One, because he was a writer, and two, because he was a drunk, and drunks are fun to drink with. Perhaps if this required a time machine, this would be even better. We could go to the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok. A lot of writers have made their way over there.
What's one of the craziest things that's happened here? Well, we have this drink called the Pimm's Cup, and it uses habañero-infused vodka. Part of the garnish is a whole habañero chile on top. Most people have enough sense not to eat it, but not all. One day we had this dainty, cute lady sitting at the bar, and she said she likes spicy stuff. Without saying another word, she picked up the habañero and just takes a big ol' bite out of it. We were like, "Oh my God, no!" and she said, "No, it's fine." And then, her eyes got wide. I thought she was going to lose her mind. I think she was holding back tears. We had to run to the back to get her a glass of milk.
What's one of the coolest things you've seen while working here? I've seen a couple of proposals go down. It hasn't happened at the bar yet. But I'm a bit of a romantic at heart, so it never gets tiring. Also, cutting people off is always kind of exciting, but in a totally different way.
Tell me about the Nanban Trade. You're hitting a lot of different flavor centers. Maybe not the sour notes so much, but the bitterness will pick that up. It's a cold-weather drink, so we have a limited amount of time to do it. It's not the easiest drink to make in the middle of service because we have to take the sake to the back to heat up. I think the most important ingredient in the whole thing is the salt, though. Three quick grinds will do it.
Here's how it's made:
3 oz. Hawk in the Heavens sake (from Japan) 1.5 oz. Fonseca 20 year old tawny port (from Portugal) Chocolate Mole bitters Salt
Heat the sake in a sake warmer or double boiler (or a microwave, if you're not a sake snob). Pour into a cup that will retain warmth. Add 2 ounces of Fonseca 20 year port and about six drops of chocolate mole bitters or other chocolate bitters. Add three grinds of salt (about a teaspoon). Stir and serve.
Both Hawk in the Heavens and Fonseca port are available at Spec's, as are chocolate bitters.
The name, Nanban Trade, refers to a period of trade in Japanese history during which Portuguese merchants and explorers came to Japan for the first time.
