Tender Bar, Ginza

L

Levi Dalton

Levi Dalton
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Welcome to Tender Bar, overseen by Mr. Kazuo Uyeda (notice his signature on the cover of the cocktail menu). Mr. Uyeda has been tending bar for 45 years. Proud and proficient, Mr. Uyeda has a keen eye for a properly proportioned drink and takes service very seriously, something that is no doubt appreciated by the older Japanese businessmen who frequent his bar. Indeed foreigners are a rare occurence here, I am told. All the more reason to look around a bit.

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The simple back bar here is misleading, as many bottles of gin and vodka are chilled in refrigerated cabinets.

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Every guest at Tender Bar is greated with a tasty snack when they sit down.

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A nice metal stirrer is given to guests with their drink.

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Notice the lapel pin on Mr. Uyeda's jacket. He also runs a cocktail academy, where he teaches the discipline of the "Hard Shake," of which Mr. Uyeda is an acknowledged master. Both up drinks and tall drink (called "long drinks" here) are mixed with very hard (very hard!) shakes in a cocktail shaker filled with the ingredients and ice. A flashy half turn flourish at the end of the pour prevents drips.

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Mr. Uyeda plans in a few years time to bring his signature shake to New York, where he hopes to open a small bar in about 3 years. Apparently, he has been planning to do so for quite awhile.

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Mr. Uyeda showed me the two kinds of ice he uses: the square ice used for the service of long drinks or short drinks on the rocks, and the chipped ice he uses for shaking. The bartenders were hard at work hand chipping large blocks of ice when I arrived, early in the night's service.

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Tender Bar offers a fine selection of Cuban Rums.

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This Cuban Rum, which had been ageing in wood casks in a Jerez bodega, was found by the new owners when the sherry house of Valdespino was sold in 1999. The level of complexity offered by this rum was quite high, and it was reminiscent to me of a good XO level cognac, say something by Pierre Ferrand.
 

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Great bar name and nice report.

Levi, are there many old school bars with bartenders still wearing jackets in NY? Was just wondering if Ginza may be the last bastion....
 
originally posted by Joel Stewart:
are there many old school bars with bartenders still wearing jackets in NY? Was just wondering if Ginza may be the last bastion....
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lots of clubs. the racquet club, the met club, doubles, etc... hotel bars. king cole, bemelman, etc...
 
originally posted by Joel Stewart:
Great bar name and nice report.

Levi, are there many old school bars with bartenders still wearing jackets in NY? Was just wondering if Ginza may be the last bastion....
Click to expand...

Joel,
I may be mistaken here, but I believe that Levi is talking about a bar named Tender Bar in the Ginza, that is to say in Tokyo. You are probably in a better position than I to fact check that assertion.

Mark Lipton
 
Yes, I realize that...there seem to be quite a few old school style bars in Ginza, so I was asking Levi about NY in comparison. Perhaps I've been here too long, and my english has suffered....
 
originally posted by scottreiner:
originally posted by Joel Stewart:
are there many old school bars with bartenders still wearing jackets in NY? Was just wondering if Ginza may be the last bastion....
Click to expand...

lots of clubs. the racquet club, the met club, doubles, etc... hotel bars. king cole, bemelman, etc...
Click to expand...

Is the Rainbow Room bar still around and worthwhile? Back in the old days it was my favorite place to take out of town visitors.
 
I was disappointed to see Mr. Uyeda's craftmanship dismissed as showmanship recently, in a widely read and respected publication.

I think the man and his drinks deserve better.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:


I think the man and his drinks deserve better.
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Do we know anything about Toby?

Although, with friends like this:
"Westerners dont understand the religious philosophy behind Japanese bartending, (coming from an identifiable westerner), who needs enemies?
 
originally posted by SFJoe:

Do we know anything about Toby?
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I believe he is the bartender responsible for creating the Cosmopolitan cocktail.

Although, with friends like this:
"Westerners dont understand the religious philosophy behind Japanese bartending, (coming from an identifiable westerner), who needs enemies?
Click to expand...

There seemed to be little concern in the article for placing the discussion in context, large or small.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
originally posted by SFJoe:

Do we know anything about Toby?
Click to expand...

I believe he is the bartender responsible for creating the Cosmopolitan cocktail.

Although, with friends like this:
"Westerners dont understand the religious philosophy behind Japanese bartending, (coming from an identifiable westerner), who needs enemies?
Click to expand...

There seemed to be little concern in the article for placing the discussion in context, large or small.
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I didn't find the article unfair and I think it is totally legitimate to question the fetishization of all things surrounding the cocktail.

While I've never been to Tender, I did like Death & Co, even if I found it a bit precious.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
There seemed to be little concern in the article for placing the discussion in context, large or small.
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I don't know that I agree with your evaluation. He said he had no metrics for texture. The tone of the article was dismissive because most of the people he interviewed hold dismissive opinions.

Is that "good" reportage? No. But there is a lot of that around.
 
Really?

He didn't taste a cocktail at Tender or visit the place, nor seemingly did he contact Mr. Uyeda for comment. It is incorrect that Mr. Uyeda is the only person who correctly practices the hard shake, as the article states, as he runs a school where he teaches the technique. The hard shake is regularly on display at Star Bar, amongst other venues, for instance. In fact, the article makes a rather mystical straw man out of Mr. Uyeda, who is a working bartender and who produces drinks that can be tasted most any evening.

There was no mention of the temperature of the bottles of liquor themselves, which is key in terms of understanding the process (the bottles are chilled). The process calls for chilled bottles of liquor, shaken at a rapid speed, poured into chilled glassware. The question is only partially about dilution: shaking with chilled liquor provides for less dilution, but the process is more about preserving temperature control. It is actually quite easy to understand why a high alcohol substance might taste more refreshing, more bracing, and less "hot" at a lower temperature, leaving aside quasi-mystical claims about texture.

A lot of credence was given to the results of an experiment at Tales of the Cocktail without a lot of specifics about how that experiment was carried out (chilled bottles? dilution measured when?).

You may take the stance that the concern for the technique is "precious". Some might say that natural winemaking is "precious". Having tasted the results of both, I would invite others to likewise give some credence to the processes involved due to the actual taste of the beverages that result. It seems quite disingenuous to dismiss the results without having actually tasted those results.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

Is that "good" reportage? No. But there is a lot of that around.
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I am afraid this is rather too cynical for me.

I simply think that the person and what he produces deserves better, and that it is a shame that instead of celebrating his craftsmanship and care, those in a position to do so have dismissed it instead.

Remember that Mr. Uyeda is not charging large amounts for the care he takes. Remember also that if he were praised, others might adopt similar techniques in this country, allowing for better tasting cocktails. Frankly, the standard in certain venues of Japan is higher than the standard in nyc. Raising the level of the standard by promoting awareness is in everyone's best interest.
 
You know, I've seen this argument before. Callahan v. Yaniger, regarding Overnoy. I mean, it's exactly the same argument.
 
You're on track. More words would help. Also, to get the style, you can't keep writing complete sentences. More sentence fragments. Like this.

I'm more interested in who's playing Yaniger here. Monkey's the most qualified and has the most experience, for certain.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
I am afraid this is rather too cynical for me.
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Don't worry. It will come to you.

I simply think that the person and what he produces deserves better, and that it is a shame that instead of celebrating his craftsmanship and care, those in a position to do so have dismissed it instead.
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Agreed, though, if you'd like a moment of DA... The intent was to be rational, even if the prose went sour afterward.

Remember also that if he were praised, others might adopt similar techniques in this country, allowing for better tasting cocktails.
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More exciting yet: some of those adopters will innovate!
 
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