Sushi Ginza Onodera in NYC, the only 2 Michelin star Japanese restaurant in the U.S., is launching its first-ever cocktail program under the direction of Yuki Minakawa, the restaurant’s new Beverage & Service Director. Yuki has worked in some of the city’s top Japanese restaurants including Masa, EN Japanese Brasserie and Kajitsu, starting in front of house positions before becoming a certified sake sommelier and diving into the world of cocktails as well. She is also expanding the wine and sake offerings at Sushi Ginza Onodera. More details on the cocktail program are below, we’d love to offer Yuki as a resource on beverages, esp. cocktails, spirits, sake and wine.

For the debut cocktail list, Yuki focuses on Japanese spirits and sake, marrying them with housemade liqueurs, orgeat, infusions and syrups. For the Sunflower, she makes an orgeat with a Japanese twist, adding shiso-infused vodka and orange blossom extract to an almond liqueur base. The drink takes its name from Amabuki Himawari “Sunflower,” a sake named for the sunflower yeast added in the brewing process, while the kabosu juice (a Japanese citrus) brings a refreshing quality to the drink. The Japanese Negroni, which mixes Bombay Sapphire gin, Amabuki Ginno Kurenai sake, citrus juices, a syrup made with raspberry, strawberry, blueberry and basil, is topped with a Campari float. The Japanese Old Fashioned combines  Nikka Coffey Grain Japanese whiskey and housemade cherry liqueur for a full-bodied version of the classic. The Sakura has a bit of a kick with house-infused spicy sake paired with bourbon, muddled cherries and lemon. In addition, popular Japanese libations such as Japanese Whiskey Highball and Chu-Hai (shochu, citrus and soda) are also available, along with a Chu-Tea-Hai (shochu with green, oolong or soba tea).  The full cocktail menu is attached. Hi-res Cocktail

The high-end New York outpost of the Tokyo restaurant group received its second Michelin star in the 2018 guidebook and is currently the only two Michelin starred Japanese restaurant in the United States. All the fish is flown in from Tsukiji Market three times per week. The restaurant serves Edomae style sushi, a traditional method that involves aging fish to both preserve it and enhance its flavor. Décor nods to tradition as well with a Hinoki wood sushi bar, handmade clay Bizen-yaki tiles on the walls and tsuchikabe ancient plaster technique “mud walls.”