The Way of the Cocktail

JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER • A rich, transportive guide to the world of Japanese cocktails from acclaimed bartender Julia Momosé of Kumiko

ONE OF THE TEN BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: Boston Globe • ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: Vanity Fair, Food52, Wired • “A love letter to the art of preparing a drink.”—Vanity Fair

With its academic devotion to tradition, craftsmanship, and hospitality, Japanese cocktail culture is an art form treated with reverence. In this essential guide, Japanese American bartender Julia Momosé of Kumiko and Kikkō in Chicago takes us on a journey into this realm. She educates and inspires while breaking down master techniques and delving into the soul of the culture: the traditions and philosophy, the tools and the spirits—and the complex layering of these elements that makes this approach so significant.

The twenty-four micro seasons that defined the flow of life in Japan served as motivation for the creation of these recipes. The collection includes perfected classics such as the Manhattan and Negroni, riffs on some of Japan’s most beloved cocktails such as the Whisky Highball, and alcohol-free drinks influenced by ingredients such as yuzu, matcha, and umé. Step into a world where the spiced woodsy cocktail Autumn’s Jacket evokes the smouldering burn of smoking rice fields in fall and where the Delicate Refusal tells the tale of spring’s tragic beauty with