The Blend crowns Richard Liu and Sanjeev Sharma winners of the House of Suntory DOJO ‘HAKUtini’ Competition.
True to its meaning of ‘a place to master the way’, the House of Suntory’s DOJO has done just that for their two champions of the recent HAKU Vodka Martini Competition.
With members across Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, the DOJO program is a platform for bartenders to learn about Japanese bartending; not only the skills but also the philosophy behind it. It’s a closed community group, run by The Blend & Suntory Global Spirits.
Back in August, with Ueno-san of Bar High Five hosting a series of technical masterclasses and bar takeovers, DOJO members were briefed on putting their Japanese craft into play with the creation of their twist on the simple, meticulously crafted, Haku Vodka Martini, elevated with their own distinctive and subtle Japanese touch.
Entering a cocktail using classic stirring techniques demonstrated, each HAKUtini had to feature a minimum 45ml of HAKU Vodka and a maximum of five imaginative ingredients. Judged on a refined, smooth tasting serve; balance, harmony and complexity were all integral components, as well as Japanese cocktail ‘Omotenashi’ (memorable detailed service whole-heatedly looking after guests), in-venue / digital promotion and cocktail listings across 3 weeks in September where they were formally judged and mystery shopped.
Now off to represent Australia at the DOJO Global Forum in Japan, joining DOJO guests from a range of cities, Richard and Sanjeev will attend a series of exclusive seminars and masterclasses, as well as experience Japanese bar culture and Suntory’s Yamazaki & Hakushu distilleries.
Check out some details on their winning cocktails below:
- Richard Liu of Kushiro, Fitzroy | DOJO HINOKITINI
With an aroma of Sandalwood (HINOKI), Richard brought the beautiful, oriented wood ‘often used for all kinds of DOJOs’, applying the character to his Haku Martini, making Haku’s sweeteners more complex and elegant.
He commented;
“With HAKU Vodka using bamboo charcoal to “strain” the spirit, the purity really surprised me, so I decided to highlight the clarity and purity of my Martini and use bamboo charcoal olive as my garnish. Green cardamom was applied as well, bringing a beautiful body of my imagination of DOJO.
As a Japanese-style bartender, the Martini has always been considered a lifelong session, it represents my entire bartending journey. I make my Martini slowly, making sure I can actually create art for the customer, just like all the other drinks that I have the confidence to serve. This is exactly what a DOJO is.”
For additional promotion, Richard united two other bartenders in Melbourne (Yao Wong and Tanguy Charbonnet) to create a “DOJO-TINI” map, leading design of the special menu which showcases DOJO and other venues involved, driving community across the Melbourne hospitality industry which the program (& The Blend) is all about.
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- Sanjeev Sharma of Grain Bar (Four Seasons Hotel), Sydney | Oubaitori Martini
Oubaitori is a kanji Idiom in Japanese, meaning that each flower blooms in its own time and the meaning based on this idiom is that each individual’s journey is unique, and everyone grows at their own pace, in their own environment. Sanj crafted his Oubaitori Martini as a reminder to all his fellow colleagues he has grown together with and commented;
“We may still continue to work together or maybe have parted our ways, but must always remember to embrace oneself. We grow at our own pace in our own way. Oubaitori Martini is made by me, for my colleagues and to our guests. We always bloom.”
The HAKUtini serve featured an infused dry vermouth featuring dried Chrysanthemum flowers and saffron, with a drop of saline and an intricate Nasturtium leaf with 2 to 3 strands of carefully positioned saffron for the garnish.
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And finally, Runner Up was Oli Fulcher, of Therapy Cocktail Bar in Adelaide, with
Senso no kiri; featuring Haku Vodka, duck fat-washed Roku Gin, cucumber-infused sake, galangal shrub, washed with sushi rice and garnished with seaweed.
Oli and co-worker & DOJO member Kate Burgess went great guns to drive interest with amazing brand visibility / menu items in-venue as well as a series of videos and ‘bloopers’ on social media.
The Blend LOVES fun & friends!!!
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