Flight 12 The era of spiced liquor is coming.
This past September was both busy and educational.
The event "Tokyo Curry Culture" produced by the author (Curry Cell) was held at the Seibu Ikebukuro main store for three weeks from September 2 to 22, 2020.
Under the banner of "Curry is culture . under the banner of "Curry is Culture," the women's clothing section on the 3rd floor (even though it is curry!) will host a series of sales and live events. ), the 3rd floor women's clothing section (even though it is curry!) will offer sales and live events from four different perspectives: curry x music, curry x fashion, curry x art, and curry x lifestyle.
In the "music" category, Keiichi Sogabe, who opened "Curry Restaurant August" this year, participated.
T-shirts with the melody for the curry scored for sale, and a talk and live performance with Mr. Sogabe will also be held.
In the "fashion" section, spice accessories by anoma are popular. They are made from real spices.
. "Art" featured a live painting by artist Hirozen Takeda. The "two-dimensional curry" was completed by mixing spices into the paint.
. "Lifestyle" sold a lot of Indian tableware and lunchboxes. Demand for home was on the rise.
On the first basement floor, the author has selected some of his favorite curry stores for the weekly eat-in menu.
The first week was "calpaci". . was followed by "negombo33" and "habamoa curry".
The mood of self-restraint caused by Corona has made it difficult to hold food and drink events where people gather in droves, and this event was held as a new attempt.
. I stood on the sales floor every day to listen to the real voices, which cannot be conveyed remotely, and to find out what is happening now in the lives of each person.
(I stood on the sales floor the entire day, but sorry to everyone who came while I was away at a meeting, etc. .)
. after all, I was able to gain real insights that I could not have gained via the Internet or remotely.
One of these realizations is "The age of spiced wine is coming." .
The spice set, which can be easily enjoyed at home, was offered along with tableware as part of the "Curry x Lifestyle" proposal.
Among the kits, the "Spiced Sake" kit was by far the best-selling item.
What is the "Spiced Sake" Kit?
The "spiced liquor" (read: supaisu sake/supaisu shu . Both are OK), but we did not sell alcohol.
Selling alcohol in a women's clothing department is too hard and not worth it.
So, I thought of a spice mix that can be added to liquor that you buy yourself and soak it to make spiced liquor.
Three types are prepared for shochu, vodka, and gin, each of which is soaked in around 750 ml of liquor, and then waited two weeks to a month to produce an aromatic spiced liquor.
Just put it in a bottle and wait, no knowledge of spices or technique is required.
Tokyo Spice House in Ogikubo, where we asked them to manufacture the spices, has a reputation for the quality of their spices, and I don't care if you are an enthusiast with a house full of spices, it can be a challenge to get all these spices.
Furthermore, the sake to be pickled should be "simple and inexpensive.
. because that way the aroma of the spices will stand out.
With the growing demand for home drinking, such as ZOOM drinking, it is easy to enjoy the pleasure of creating something special at a low price.
I thought this would sell well, so I prepared for it, but when I opened the lid, I found that it was selling unexpectedly fast.
The first shipment sold out on the first day, and from then on, the production was increased and increased during the exhibition.
("Tokyo Spice House", thank you so much for all your hard work .)
Our initial aim was "for spice beginners," but we were also impressed by the large number of purchases from the food and beverage industry.
Even more interesting was the phenomenon that the "for shochu" with rose petals added sold first on weekdays, while the hard-core "for gin" with juniper berries and Nepalese pepper sold first on Saturdays and Sundays.
I could also feel the difference in purchasing behavior between weekdays, when people buy what they are attracted to, and Saturdays and Sundays, when people come to the store with the intention of buying and examine the items.
Juniper berries are the fruit used to flavor gin. When they are soaked in gin, the aroma is boosted.
Spiced liquor that is slowly coming
Actually, this is not the first time I have suggested spiced drinks .
I have been sensing a spiced sake movement slowly coming around 2018, and when I participated as an advisor at Azumaya, a DJ Bar that opened in Shibuya in 2019, I was asked to place spiced sake there.
Two types of spiced sake are always available at Azumaya.
Sansho Gin & Tonic," which has a unique numbing effect that is addictive, and "Cardamom Whiskey," which is highly aromatic.
Both are now very popular.
The rim of the glass is covered with powder, while the bottom is covered with grains and sansho (Japanese pepper). Sansho gin and tonic at Azumaya.
Other restaurants in Tokyo include Bangera's Kitchen, where you can enjoy spiced cocktails to go with Indian cuisine, Curry Shop Hatsukoi, where you can enjoy Sri Lankan spirits arak and spiced drinks, and Seahorse, where you can enjoy spiced drinks in Golden Street.
This year, an increasing number of stores in Osaka are offering cardamom-soaked drinks, and the enjoyment of spiced drinks is spreading across the country.
. there is a wide variety of spiced cocktails at Bangera's Kitchen.
Curry Shop Hatsukoi" has a lineup of drinks soaked in spices. Ask the shopkeeper about it.
Why spiced wine now?
. the age of spiced liquor is coming." I am convinced of this for several reasons.
The first is the growing demand for spices in food and beverage in general.
The era of spice = curry is over, and now there is a movement to incorporate spices into various genres of cuisine.
I believe this may have something to do with changing food preferences due to the changing climate in Japan , as well as the fact that the status of Asian cuisine has improved as the country has emerged from its Western complex.
The second is to increase the customer spend at curry restaurants (and adjacent genre restaurants).
Previous ArticleAs we wrote in the previous section, curry has a strong image as a school lunch, retort, or homemade dish to begin with, and it is difficult to raise the sales price even in restaurants.
(It is an issue that must be resolved.)
If this were the case, the profit would be covered by sales of alcoholic beverages, but nowadays many customers do not order alcoholic beverages.
We live in a world where you can see the purchase price by googling it on your phone, and there is a limit to how much you can raise the selling price of alcohol.
This is where spiced liquor, which is a modified version of commercial liquor, comes in handy.
If you prepare the food at your restaurant, it will not take much time and you can increase the unit price.
If customers notice the spice alcohol compatibility, we can serve more and more small bowls of spiced dishes and let them enjoy the matching experience.
And third, there is a growing demand for homebrewing, as evidenced by this event.
When I am cooped up at home with the Corona disaster , the months seem to go by faster.
. want to work on something," and "want to vent through a special experience."
Spiced sake, which is "easy," "time-consuming," and "special," fits perfectly into this demand.
All three of the above reasons are irreversible moves.
There is no doubt that the demand for spiced liquor will continue to grow.
On the last day of the "Tokyo Curry Culture" event, Mr. Kawakubo of Tokyo Spice House
Held "Made-to-Order Spice" event.
Some customers order spiced blends for spiced liquor, hot wine , and craft colas.
I would like to make spiced liquor!
You want to make spiced liquor at home! The first spice I would recommend in such a case is cardamom.
. It goes well with barley shochu such as "God's River" and plain tasting whiskey such as "Suntory Kaku".
Azumaya's cardamom whiskey. The aroma of cardamom can be enjoyed to the fullest.
Next to that, try blending with cinnamon or coriander seeds, depending on your preference.
The trick to making a spiced liquor that combines several spices is that the base can be any cheap liquor.
This is because the spices themselves are more enjoyable when the liquor is less peculiar or aromatic.
Whenever you add spices to alcohol, the aroma is surprisingly gorgeous.
Spiced wine is also a great way to learn about the aroma and characteristics of each spice.
Please enjoy matching with the curry.
Now, what kind of Flight should we try next time?
PROFILE
In pursuit of all kinds of curry and strange creatures. A spice radar by nature, he has visited more than 3,000 curry restaurants in Japan and abroad. He has been featured in many magazines and TV programs, and is a member of the Japanese Curry Awards selection committee. He is a member of the Japanese Curry Awards Selection Committee, and is a member of the "Next Breakthrough Curry Restaurant" program, which invites a new local curry restaurant to Shibuya every month.SHIBUYA CURRY TUNEThe company is holding the "Mutual Aid Association of Japan (MAAJ).
