KIGO at the Boutique Bar Show in Manchester

KIGO was surrounded by some of the industries top spirits and speakers last week. Represented by Cask KIGO showcased the Silver Mountain cocktail to a great response.



The show was a massive success and thank you to everyone who tasted and commented.

KIGO

KIGO Masterclass

As well as a Japanese Masterclass being held at 69 colebrooke row there will also be a seperate class devoted entirely to KIGO, it's production, history and uses. Spaces are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.

The class is on May 24th between 2-4pm and costs £40. The day is mainly focused at individuals that work in the trade.

For more information contact 69 Colebrooke Row on - 07540528593

Japanese Master Class 7th May

This Saturday 7th May, at 69 Colebrooke Row the second Japanese Master Class is being held.

After the success and interest of the first it was only a matter of time until round 2 kicked off. KIGO will be there as well as 69 Colebrooke rows finest to give insights, original drinks and ideas into how the Japanese culture can be incorporated into your cocktail list.

There will be demo's, tasting and you'll be given the chance to test some of the techniques out for yourself.

The class runs 2 - 4pm and costs £40. Places are limited so make sure you call 69 Colebrooke row on 07540528593 to book your place.

KIGO "seasons" Video

KIGO's are word that the Japanaes associate or use to describe a certain season. They often appear in Haiku (Japanese Poetry). They are expressive words used to describe the feel and sesnsations of a season. The video below is entitles KIGO and is filmed over the course of a year documenting how the seasons change and filmed by Lluis Masachs

KIGO from Lluis Masachs on Vimeo.

KIGO Shochu and Tea

Shochu is traditionally and regularly served with either hot or cold water. Further from this Shochu is also often served with hot tea of various varieties.


"Matcha" tea is often used. Matcha tea is a form of green tea that is very finely milled into a powder and has recently been used to flavour or die foods such as soba, mochi noodles or green tea ice cream.

Important to remember is that Matcha is different from green tea powder, and tea powder. It is a high quality finely ground form of green tea.

Although brewed naturally in Japan, for KIGO cocktails it is important to have a consistent flavour throughout, meaning the brewing process can be slightly more laborious but also render high quality results that retain a constant flavour throughout.

Instead of simply boiling the tea in water, the tea is measured and weighed and then sealed under sous vide in a vacuum bag and seperated by weight and variety.

The bags are then placed in water and heated using an induction heater and the temperature monitored throughout.



Once heated, the teas are allowed to cool and then each is tasted seperately with KIGO to see which flavour flavour profiles works best together.



In a similar way to fruit and veg teas can also be seasonal in Japan and should be taken into consideration when creating new KIGO or shochu drinks.

Spring Tea - Cherry Blossom

Summer - Jasmin Tea

Autumn - Smoked Cinnamon Tea


Winter - Snow Tip Tea

KIGO at Boutique Bar Show

The Boutique Bar Show is back!! Come down to Manchester town hall on May 10th to see brands and spirits from all over the world, including KIGO.

We will have our own stand and will be showcasing KIGO drinks and serves throughout the day.

Registration is FREE. Take a look at the site HERE and check out the other exhibitors.

Shochu Serves

Shochu traditionally has been served in a number of ways. Originally they were uncomplicated and cheap keeping their focus on accentuating the flavours present in each variety of the spirit and making it more easily drinkable.

Originally it was served with water, hot or cold, added to it. Either this or with the addition of green tea were most likely the original ways in which it was drunk.

As mentioned before the ABV of shochu can be up to 40% which may have led people to weaken it with whatever was at hand i.e tea or water itself.

Ice is of course an obvious choice and one that has been used more in recent times, both to water down the drink and affect the temperature and thus the flavour.

In recent years and since Shochu has made it's way across from Asia to the western world we have seen more and more adventurous and original flavours being used to compliment the different kinds of shochu.

New and popular flavours include strawberry, peach, rhubarb, ginger, and white tea. With the ongoing growth of the spirit and explosion of new and interesting base products each brand is seemingly gaining a flavour profile of it's own which means there are constantly new combinations being thought up.

Even more comtemporary serves, and perhaps at the opposite end of the creative spectrum, include pre-made canned shochu "cocktails"

An introduction to Shochu part 1

For many people Shochu is still a relatively unknown or mis-understood spirit. Often referred to as Japanese vodka or strong sake, it does not necessarily have the same following in the western world as spirits such as vodka or rum. Ironically it is in the top 4 selling spirits in the world and is now outsells sake in Japan.

Its origins are murky at best with various countries claiming to be it's originator. Some argue that Shochu reached Japan's shores via Thailand, who were making much cruder forms of spirit, or from China via Korea, who still make a version of Shochu called Soju which is generally a higher abv and pocesses a much stronger flavour. The exact and definitive origin remains a mystery and in all likelihood is probably a mixture of both.

Shochu itself is a distilled spirit, not unlike vodka in that it utulises starch present in base ingredient to begin the fermentation process. Unlike vodka Shochu retains much more of the base ingredients flavour and lends itself too a much more complex flavour. The abv is often much lower than the average spirit but can potentially reach 40% and still be classed as shochu.

The base ingredient can literally be anything that has starch in. Products range from potato, buckwheat, sweet potato, rice, ,brown sugar to kumquats, carrots and green tea. Each shochu holding it's own distinct and personalised characteristics.

Traditionally Shochu can be drunk either neat, on ice, with hot or cold water, or with a mixer such as green tea or more recently a juice such as grapefruit or strawberry flavour.

Over the coming weeks we will delve deeper into the production techniques and areas of Japan famous for their rich history and generations old shochu distilleries. Stay tuned.