I can give a guest a proper Martini and other classic cocktails like in a fine Ginza cocktail bar in Tokyo, and at the same time, we can serve a simple drink like a boilermaker. I love dive bars and my neighborhood bars, so that’s what I wanted to do. What was your aim for the bar when you opened Katana Kitten in 2018?I have so much love for American cocktail culture. That’s where I met and got to work with Ignacio “Nacho” Jimenez, who still constantly inspires me today. I’m grateful for the opportunities that Naren and the Saxon + Parole bar team brought to me. Joining Naren’s team at Saxon + Parole was my turning point, going back to school from comfortably slinging vodka soda and Jack and Coke. Saxon + Parole was all about Naren Young and Linden Pride, these very unique talents from Australia. It used to be about how we can make faster and easier, and then what makes something fresher and more delicious. But Saxon + Parole changed everything for me. It was a very high-volume, late-night space. I got a job at a place called Kingswood, which is where The Happiest Hour is now in the West Village, thanks to my friend Paul Franich. And there were already places like Milk & Honey, Pegu Club, and Angel’s Share, which had been around a long time. It was 2008 when I moved to New York, and I was mesmerized by so much diversity in terms of style of different bars and restaurant bars. How did it compare to the cocktail scene you experienced when you moved to the U.S.? And how did your time behind the bar at Saxon + Parole influence your approach to bartending?It was completely different! When I was in Japan bartending, it was all classic cocktails and reading and following the classic recipe from the book. So, without being disrespectful to that, I try to look at how I can make it better, and carry the integrity of the product and give it to people. The Japanese approach really looks at the details and the story behind something, while respecting the existing conditions. I feel fortunate to have my Japanese countryside upbringing as a background. In the book, I emphasize that I’ve only been in this industry for 20 years, and so many people came before me-bartenders and bar owners who know and have done better than myself. To me it is a constant (self) reminder about what I do day to day, particularly the same task, but to make it better than yesterday, or to just try to notice small differences or a defect that can be improved. It’s a Japanese word that is best described in English as “continuous improvement.” Kaizen is something embraced by many companies, from whiskey makers to car manufactures to a bakery in your neighborhood, and individuals like my dad, who was a strong influence. What, to you, defines the Japanese approach to bartending and cocktails?Something that comes to my mind first is called kaizen. I just tried to make sure I wasn’t doing anything stupid. I went from delivering pizza and pouring from a soda gun at a karaoke bar, so it was a 180-degree shift. What hooked me was the professionalism-all these servers and maître d’s and sommeliers-it was just a glamorous environment. But I was just 19 years old and had no idea what I was doing. A place like that requires not only skills and knowledge about fine dining, but maturity. One of my first jobs was delivering pizza, but I got a job interview at a fine-dining restaurant called Tableaux, which was one of the most popular restaurants for international clientele in Tokyo at the time. What hooked you about the profession?Masahiro Urushido: I’m from a small town called Minowa in Nagano Prefecture in the countryside, but I moved to Tokyo when I was 18 to finish high school. You began bartending while still living in Tokyo. We connected with Urushido to chat about the inspiration behind the book, how he interprets the Japanese style of bartending, and how the hospitality industry has defined so much of his life experience. This June sees the release of Urushido’s first book, with co-author Michael Anstendig, The Japanese Art of the Cocktail. A loving amalgamation of American dive bar and Japanese culture, the bar-and its cheeky name-represents Urushido’s own approach to the industry, equal parts precise and playful. The following summer, Katana Kitten was named Best New American Cocktail Bar at the Spirited Awards at Tales of the Cocktail, and it had landed on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. When Masahiro Urushido opened the West Village bar Katana Kitten in the summer of 2018, he was already well-known in the industry from his seven years behind the bar at Saxon + Parole.
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