Mix it Up
Expert mixologists recommend food-and-drink pairings featuring their favorite spirits of the moment.
✏️ TRACY CHAN
📸 JOHN HOOK
ミクソロジーの哲学ミクソロジーマンスの6月、インターナショナルマーケットプレイスのミクソロジストが今
旬のスピリッツを使ったおすすめのフードとドリンクのペアリングをご紹介します。
Hear from the experts at mixology destinations throughout the shopping center about the cocktails they’ve been slinging and their favorite dishes to complement each creation’s unique flavor profile.
Gin is In
Herringbone by Hakkasan Group
The Empress
+ Yellowtail tiradito
The Empress is refreshingly tart and floral, combining purple Empress 1908 gin, lemon, orgeat, and St. Germain elderflower liqueur. Devan Scobie, lead bartender at Herringbone, recommends pairing it with the restaurant’s yellowtail tiradito (a Japanese-Peruvian fusion
dish made with raw fish and spicy
yellow ají mayo and citrus sauce. “I think most people are turned off by gin because they’ve only tried it in a martini,” Scobie says. “They don’t realize it pairs well with cucumber and other good ingredients. I originally made this cocktail for a girl who thought gin was horrible, and I wanted to change her mind.” Great for a light afternoon snack or as a prelude to a heavier meal, this colorful combo balances spice and citrus to beautiful effect.
Whiskey Bent
Stripsteak
The Descendant
+ “Instant” bacon
You can’t go wrong with the classic combo of cured meat and whiskey. Start with The Descendant, a whiskey-based cocktail reminiscent of an old fashioned, featuring Knob Creek rye whiskey, house-made Asian pear syrup, Gran Classico amaro, and chocolate and Angostura bitters. “The combination of smoky, bitter, and sweet is well balanced and great for either seasoned bourbon drinkers or new fans,” says Stripsteak bartender Brittany Cheatham. Smoked with keawe wood, it pairs well with Stripsteak’s hearty “instant” bacon appetizer, in which thick slices of pork belly are glazed with an addictive house soy glaze seasoned with Chinese five-spice powder, topped with a fried tempura oyster, and smoked.
Clear as Vodka
Eating House 1849
Slightly Jaded
+ EH 1849 calamari
Calamari and chill with this Suntory Haku vodka-based cocktail, which includes chartreuse, house-made basil syrup, and a dried basil and salt rim. “I like Haku vodka because it’s very clean, crisp, and neutral,” says Eating House 1849 bar manager Teves Freitas. Made with Japanese white rice, the vodka is filtered through bamboo charcoal, resulting in a smooth, clean taste that works well in a variety of cocktails. The restaurant’s fried calamari is a perfect companion—it’s coated in a house-made buttermilk batter and seasoned with yuzukosh (a Japanese paste of yuzu peel, chili peppers, and salt), Kewpie mayo, shichimi spice, and citrus. The cocktail’s sweet-sour citrus notes cut through the crunchy, spicy calamari for a satisfying bite.
A Home Rum
The Street Food Hall
Mai tai + Taco trio
One unique thing about The Myna Bird, the tiny tiki bar inside The Street Food Hall, is its custom house rum blend, which consists of two Jamaican rums and two agricole rums housed in unlabeled bottles. Add house-made macadamia nut orgeat syrup, vanilla-infused bitters, and fresh cane juice, and you get a smooth, potent twist on the classic mai tai. Try it with the tacos from coastal Mexican joint Mi Almita Cantina next door. “The taco trio is our top-selling item at The Street, and these two items together are sure to put you in a relaxed mindset,” says Scott Suemoto, sales and marketing director for Stripsteak and The Street Food Hall. The street tacos, a signature dish from James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega of Mi Almita Cantina, come with your choice of beef, pork, and chicken, with a side of crispy house-made tortilla chips.
