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Cocktail Kingdom Hospitality Group has a knack for teaming up with talented bartenders and letting them shine, starting with Nicolas de Soto's spice-forward cocktail bar, Mace, Masahiro Urushido’s split-level and spirited izakaya, Katana Kitten, and Ignacio "Nacho" Jimenez’s super good time, Superbueno. Now, the hospitality group has partnered with a world-class set of bartenders all the way from Japan for an omakase cocktail experience.
Opening its doors tonight on the Lower East Side is Cocktail Omakase. As made clear by its name, the bar trades sushi for spirits, inviting thirsty crowds to leave it all up to the mixologist instead of the chef. A collaborative effort, the hospitality group worked alongside Yujiro “Kiyo” Kiyosaki and manager Kazuaki “Kazu” Nagao, the owners of Tokyo's Bar LIBRE, one of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, to carry the vision forward. The bar follows a growing trend of cocktail-forward tastings, including Brooklyn's “smartbar,” F&F Bar, that cycles through 12 different drink courses and Atomix's bar-only tasting menu.
The bar resides in the former LES sushi and kaiseki counter, Uchū and Bar at Uchū, respectively. The old bones were exactly what the team was looking for, as the blond-wood counter and skylight still exist in the front, as does the walnut counter in the back. Beyond replastering and breaking down walls, new additions include shoji screens handcrafted by Miya Shoji, the oldest shoji screen maker in the States. A glowing square marks the outside, as does a mural from artist Cazul 137.
Now operating as Cocktail Omakase, the 12-seat counter proves to be the centerpiece. Over the course of an hour, bartenders shake, stir and pour a series of drinks, all guided by the philosophy of omakase. The opening menu includes a woodsy welcome drink, the Ember Highball, made of lapsang souchong tea, cedar and the brightness of plum to a vegetal Tomatillo Shiso Sour with a nice zing of tartness from yuzu. With each drink comes a bite from chef Phillip Kirschen-Clark, previously of Paradise Lost, ranging from a soy-marinated jammy egg with tomato crumble to clams baked down with sake, ginger and lemon. It is personalized even further as several ceramics and plates are crafted by Kirschen-Clark himself.
In practice, four cocktails in one sitting may sound like a lot to drink in (and at a steal for $55). However, each drink is capped at three to four ounces. Plus, guests can choose how spirited they want to get by selecting the spirited, low ABV or non-alcoholic tasting menu.
And if you need to finish your last dredges of drink by the time the hour is up, guests can find refuge at Bar 7. Inspired by Tokyo’s micro-bars, the seven-seat bar is a more casual, walk-up experience where you can find full-sized drinks, including a charred lemon sour with soba and a hojicha espresso martini with shochu. Chef Kirschen-Clark has also provided bar bites to the tune of fermented edamame and cold yaki soba noodles with the option to doctor it up with Wagyu. And if things get too crowded as new guests shuffle in with old ones, the bar houses a 15-seat lounge in the basement, also open for private gatherings.
Cocktail Omakase will open its doors today, Friday, March 27th, starting at 6pm with weekend seatings at 5:30pm. For its opening week, Kiyosaki and Nagao will be in town tending to the bar, so try to catch them while you can.