The Philadelphia Bar Inspired By Japanese Cocktail Culture | Bon Appétit

"Above Ogawa Sushi & Kappo in Philadelphia’s Old City, I stepped up to a discreet, apothecary-like 21-seat cocktail bar that opened in late 2024 and serves Japanese-inflected cocktails and snacks. A host guides you to a second-floor walk-up and, behind a curtain, shelves of mason jars and housemade ferments greet two bartenders doing long pours and pulling highballs. The program is driven by Danny Childs’s farm-to-glass, ethnobotanical approach (he’s the Slow Drinks author) and head bartender Rob Scott’s experience with ginza and izakaya bartending, resulting in a mash-up of meticulous craft and casual, high-quality service. Drinks are conceived by moon cycle and micro-climate seasonality, the menu rotating every two to three weeks with a pantry mentality summed up by “we have it until we don’t”; bartenders ferment sodas and kombucha, use koji (shio koji, amazake), make tinctures, bitters, liqueurs, amari, and aromatized wines, and work with foraged or farm-sourced items like nocino from walnuts, backyard lemongrass, produce from Suzuki farm and Kitazawa Seed Co., and home-planted Japanese mugwort, mitsuba, momotaro tomatoes, and shishitos. Service leans on omotenashi: the omakase cocktail (dealer’s choice) prompts guests to pick a season for their drink, then staff ask about sweetness, shake vs. stir, and any aversions to tailor a custom cocktail; for example, a suggested autumnal, semi-sweet shaken option might be a Penicillin riff leaning on apple brandy or Calvados with lemon, honey syrup, shio koji for savory depth, a touch of scotch pulled back, and barley shochu for earthiness, producing a smoky, tart, ginger-tinged profile. The bar has evolved from reservation-only nights to a walk-in-friendly, six-night-a-week industry hang with a growing team (including Japanese American bartender Chi Yorizumi), and it emphasizes sessionable lower-proof options like inventive highballs—using osmanthus, chrysanthemum, barley teas, and shochu—to teach and broaden appreciation for seasonal, technique-driven cocktails." - ByAlisha Miranda