The Hard Shake

I've been reading a series of articles about Japanese bartenders. What it boils down to is taking pride in one's craft to the point of refining your technique to perfection...something the Japanese excel at.

From The Japan Times...

"The best bartenders on the planet all work in Ginza," claims Masahiro Kon, ex-bartender and award-winning cocktail creator. "In the U.S., they're mixing drinks with herbs and other weird ingredients, but in Ginza the best guys just polish their cocktails like jewels."

Bar Tender is a sedate lounge bar in which staff sport cream cocktail jackets and hairstyles that wouldn't twitch in a wind tunnel. With their pinky fingers cocked, they meticulously pour ingredients into silver-plated cocktail shakers. Then, as though somebody suddenly pressed fast-forward, they burst into full-throttle, elbow-thrashing shakes.

By the time they slam the liquid into its glass, the ice has splintered, and the drink is almost a frappe. This is the Hard Shake, a technique invented by Bar Tender owner Kazuo Ueda two decades ago and now part of global bartending folklore.

I've never seen the hard shake in person or if I did I wasn't paying attention. Now I'm fascinated by it and will definitely check it out next time I'm in Tokyo.

I'm not sure who did this short video about the Hard Shake but it's great...