Blog
Stories from behind the bar: cocktails, ramen, Japanese culture, and life on the Lower East Side.
ShochuMar 2, 2025How to Read a Shochu Label: Koji, Distillation, IngredientEveryone asks what shochu is made from. It is the least useful question you can ask about a bottle, and here is what to ask instead.WhiskyMar 2, 2025Kiuchi Makes Sake, Beer, Shochu, Whisky and Umeshu. One House.Two hundred years of sake, an owl that made them famous abroad, and a whisky operation running two distilleries. We pour more Kiuchi than anything else on the list.ShochuMar 2, 2025Awamori: Okinawa's Spirit, and Why It Uses Thai RiceAwamori is made from long-grain Thai rice, not Japanese rice, and it is distilled once from an all-koji mash. Both of those are the point, not a shortcut.CommunityFeb 25, 2025Rebellion 25: The CIVIATELIER Pop-Up FundraiserIzakaya Juraku hosted TEN TEN NYC's Rebellion 25 pop-up fundraiser for CIVIATELIER, Keisuke Tanaka's upcycled fashion brand.CommunityFeb 25, 2025CIVIATELIER / Kay and Japanese FashionBehind Rebellion 25: CIVIATELIER, a TEN TEN NYC fundraiser at Izakaya Juraku supporting Keisuke Tanaka's upcycled fashion brand and mental health awareness through art.WhiskyFeb 20, 2025Hakushu 12 and 18: The Suntory Malt That Went Up a MountainBuilt in a forest at the foot of Mount Kaikomagatake, and the only Suntory malt with real peat in it. Also the reason the highball works as well as it does.EventsFeb 13, 2025Satoshiki Japanese WhiskyIzakaya Juraku hosted a SATO SHIKI Highball Event on February 20th, featuring the Japanese whisky in a lineup of curated highballs and cocktails.EventsFeb 13, 2025Nihon Sakari Sake Tasting With Umami InsiderIzakaya Juraku hosted a sake tasting event on February 22nd celebrating Nihon Sakari, with pairings from Umami Insider and Kankitsu Labo.CocktailsFeb 13, 2025Why We Make Our Own Tonic: Five Citrus and a Numbing PepperCommercial tonic is mostly sugar with a trace of quinine. Ours is built from five Japanese citrus varieties and sansho, and each one is doing a specific job.FoodFeb 6, 2025Why Every Skewer We Serve Is Gluten-FreeA regular brought her celiac mother-in-law in on our busiest night. What I improvised for her became the only tare we make.FoodFeb 6, 2025Karaage Two Ways, and Why Potato Starch MattersThe two karaage we serve, Signature with spicy mayo and Oroshi with grated daikon and yuzu wasabi, and why the potato starch is the part that matters.
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