LIQUID" & "Cocktail Good History":
A number of unique new restaurants have appeared!Bar hopping in Nara.
- Part I -

Maybe even hotter than Osaka's Kansai Expo?Doripura brings you a selection of bars that have caught our attention from Nara, the new "bar battleground" where many hot bars are crowded in a small area.In the first part, we visited the new faces "LIQUID" and "Cocktail Good History.

writer：Ryoko Kuraishi　

"LIQUID" offers about 70 kinds of domestic and foreign gins.

A variety of unique cocktails.LIQUID is fun just to look at the menu!

The first bar in Nara is LIQUID, which was opened in December 2023 by Yuya Nagata, a former employee of Bar Charleston, a long-established bar in Ikoma, Nara.

Mr. Nagata says that in addition to his cocktail-making skills at Bar Charleston, the owner-bartender Takuji Okitsu's hospitality and personality were excellent, and he learned how to create a comfortable atmosphere.

I visited many bars, but Bar Charleston was the one I felt most comfortable at," says Nagata.

I asked the owner to let me work there, and after over a year, my wish was granted and I was allowed to train there.

While working at "Bar Charleston", I challenged myself in various competitions to improve my skills and became independent.He worked at "Bar Charleston" and challenged himself in various competitions to improve his skills before setting up his own business.

Mr. Nagata's desire to "surprise people with cocktails" is reflected in the humorous names of his cocktails.

For example, the "Cassis Soda for the 10th year in the business," which combines roasted tea gin and cassis liqueur, which is not too sweet but has a distinctly astringent and savory flavor.
The "Kaiware Kaiwai Mojito," which uses kaiware daikon radish instead of mint, and the "Good Morning Gangster," which is inspired by a morning scene of a bourbon-loving gangster. ......etc.
<a15> The menu is full of cocktails with names that sound like jokes but are intriguing when you look at the composition.

He says, "There are many cocktails that are not on the menu because we couldn't find a funny name for them, even though the recipes are very good.

We have been open for a little over a year now, and we want to make sure that our regular customers never get bored with our menu.We are conscious of creating such a menu so that our regular customers will never get bored.

The "Good Morning Gangster" is a bourbon, almond orgeat, and peanut butter flavored cocktail, which is "inspired by a bourbon-loving gangster puffing on a cigar and spreading peanut butter on toast.The "Good Morning Gangster" is a bourbon, almond orgeat and peanut butter cocktail.The finishing smoke comes from the cigars smoked by the gang.Ice stamps were also introduced early on.

Another feature of the store is its wide selection of craft gins.

Popular ones are "CLOVER GIN" from Belgium, which has an easy-to-recognize, gorgeous aroma, and "Tachibana GIN," which is "associated with Nara.

Ms. Nagata recommends "PLOW," produced by the Goka distillery in Ibaraki Prefecture.

Currently, he has about 70 bottles, and some customers come here just for this.

"Of course, I also make gin cocktails. Sometimes I improvise cocktails like the Wild White Lady, which is a combination of the White Lady and the Francis Albert (gin and bourbon whiskey)."

What are his goals for this year?

"I will try my best to enter as many competitions as possible so that I can attract attention to myself and this restaurant."

Mr. Yasunaka from Cocktail Good History.

Cocktail Good History" values the classics.

The second bartender is Cocktail Good History, which just opened in December 2024.

The owner-bartender is Mr. Yoshifumi Yasunaka, who was the master bartender at "LAMP BAR.He was in charge of the bar when Michito Kaneko, who travels the world, was away, and his skills are well known.

The axis of Mr. Yasunaka's bartending is classic cocktails.

That is no wonder, as he started his career at an authentic bar in Osaka, "Bar Hiramatsu," where he studied classic cocktails for about 10 years.

He also served cocktails with a modern twist at LAMP BAR, so having both axes is one of Yasunaka's strengths.

Personally, I think a classic cocktail is one that brings out the personality and aroma of the spirits and liqueurs.Although the recipe is simple, it is always delicious and never gets old.

For the creator, each time he or she makes a cocktail, there is something new to discover, and it is fun to delve deeper into the history and story of the cocktail.

In keeping with this image of classic cocktails, the interior design and appearance of the restaurant is reminiscent of a monastery or monastery in some European country.

The domed ceiling is reminiscent of a monastery or a monastery.

The cocktails offered at the restaurant also incorporate a modern approach, such as the use of Nara's unique ingredients, while respecting classical techniques and ideas.

One botanical closely associated with Nara is Yamatotachibana, the oldest citrus fruit in Japan, which is mentioned in the Manyoshu (The Anthology of Myriad Leaves).Its refreshing aroma has a spicy nuance reminiscent of sansho (Japanese pepper), making it very unique.

We serve cocktails with homemade liqueur made from Yamato Tachibana peels and leaves soaked in spirits."

Yamato Tachibana Spritz's "FLOWER" is a lemon cello-style homemade tachibana cello with Nara's white wine.The Yamato Tachibana Spritz "Flower" is a lemon cello-style homemade tachibana cello with Nara white wine.

The garnish consists of orange flower and tachibana leaves.The cocktail is refreshing and easy to drink, with a gentle aroma of elderflower and calendula.

Yasunaka's Negroni (left) is surprisingly easy to drink and has a mild flavor.There is also a Negroni made with homemade aperitivo, allowing you to choose your favorite.On the right is the signature Yamato Tachibana Spritz FLOWER.This spritz twist combines homemade tachibana cello with Nara wine, and is also available in "HERB" with chartreuse and bitters.Garnish with pesticide-free Yamato-Tachibana leaves and peel.

As a contrast, I was recommended a Negroni, a typical classic cocktail.

Mr. Yasunaka's Negroni is a surprisingly mild and gentle Negroni.Why does he use more gin than in the standard recipe?

After much research and trial and error, I have come to believe that the order in which the ingredients are added in a classic cocktail, especially the Negroni, is very important.

I mix the vermouth and Campari first, and then combine them with the gin.This creates a sense of unity and results in a soft Negroni that has a lot of alcohol body but not too much alcohol.

We enjoyed chatting with Mr. Yasunaka about the classics at "Cocktail Good History".It's still late in the evening!The culture of apero is alive and well in Nara style.


In the second part of the evolving Nara, we will introduce two contrasting establishments that specialize in coffee - the newly opened "Bar Ripple" and the long-established?In the second part, we will introduce two contrasting establishments that specialize in coffee: the newly opened "Bar Ripple" and the "Nakata Yosutei," which has the look of a long-established restaurant!

Continued in Part 2.