FEATURE| An encounter between a bar and a band brought about by craft bourbon, which is enjoyed with the eyes, ears, and tongue.
CYCLE SHAKE BAR
A chance encounter between a bar and a band brought about by craft bourbon, which is enjoyed with the eyes, ears, and tongue.
When we think of whiskey, we think of highballs. But that is not the only way to enjoy whiskey. Cocktails made with bourbon whiskey are also very easy to drink and delicious. J.S. BURGERS CAFE Shinjuku, a leader in the gourmet burger scene, is offering cocktails made with bourbon whiskey under the theme of "craft bourbon" until mid-July 2018 (tentative). What is unique is that it is different from the usual cocktails made by bartenders shaking shakers. In fact, the shakers are placed in a "Cycle Shake," a shaking machine that incorporates bicycle wheels, and the handle is turned with a clunk. How does this crafty shaking process produce the vividly colored cocktails? What is the "CYCLE SHAKE" anyway? Who is the Open Reel Ensemble who will taste the finished cocktail? Let us explain step by step.
The one and only shaker available only here in Japan.
This black object with an industrial atmosphere, "CYCLE SHAKE," is an original shaking machine ordered from one of the best bicycle builders in Japan, which was developed for shaking milk in the 19th century in the U.S. It is arranged for cocktails and can be found in Japan only at "J.S . BURGERS CAFE Shinjuku" is the only place in Japan where you can find this machine. Due to its structure, the machine is able to reproduce the "figure eight shaking" technique used by bartenders, which is the key to making a good cocktail.
The theme of the pop-up bar is "Craft Bourbon," and we have selected Maker's Mark bourbon as the base for the cocktails, and will be serving a variety of bourbon whiskeys, including "Bourbon Whiskey" and "Shetland Wool Whiskey. Bourbon whiskey" is a designation given only to whiskey produced in the United States and meeting government regulations, just as "Shetland wool" is given to knitwear made exclusively from wool from the Shetland Islands.
Maker's Mark" is a craft bourbon made by hand at a small distillery in Kentucky, and the trademark red sealing wax is also handmade, so no two bottles are alike. It is truly the perfect craft bourbon.
A performer who is fascinated by spinning and worships spinning.
Open Reel Ensemble (ORE) is a group/project that transforms an old-fashioned open-reel tape recorder into a musical instrument and performs while directly touching the reels and tapes. The group started in 2009 as a five-member group led by Ei Wada, and currently consists of Ei Wada, Yu Yoshida, and Tadashi Yoshida.
We chose ORE for this project because of the similarities between bicycle wheels and open reels, both of which produce something by turning. Also, the fact that ORE makes its own "instruments" with its own hands seemed to fit the theme of craft bourbon.
From left to right: Ei Wada, Yu Yoshida
Before visiting "J.S. BURGERS CAFE Shinjuku," I had them perform in their studio, and as is the case with "CYCLE SHAKE," with its dynamic shaking over the counter, it is only at a live performance that one can enjoy watching the unique power and movement of the music.
Tadashi Yoshida
This style of playing with tapes on bamboo is from recently. Open reel is a recording and playback machine, so we can do a certain amount of things just by standing in front of it and letting the sound play. However, since we started our activities as ORE, we wanted to pursue what we could do in a live performance using our bodies, and we thought of a way to visually understand what each of us was doing and to expand the content of our expression. This technique, which we call 'Jigaku Kyu' (magnetic bowing), was born.
Another technique called 'tape tap,' in which an open-reel tape is played like percussion by hitting it with a drumstick, was also invented." (Mr. Wada)
Next, Mr. Wada said, "Analog open-reel machines have an unstable sound and a unique distortion that occurs when touched by hand. It is an intuitive machine in that its movement in space is connected to time and sound. I can create similar sounds with synthesizers, but I want to bring out the comfort of the "fluctuation" of the tape by playing it as if I were directly touching the sound through my body," he says.
CYCLE SHAKE" is sci-fi, like a chimeric instrument.
Leaving the studio, we went to "J.S. BURGERS CAFE Shinjuku. A bicycle-type "CYCLE SHAKE" sits at the entrance for display. In front of the rooftop terrace in the back is the "CYCLE SHAKE BAR," a pop-up bar with another shake machine.
A total of eight types of craft bourbon are available at CYCLE SHAKE BAR. Among them, the "Latte Mojito," a fresh combination of bourbon, coffee, and milk accented with mint; the "Brooklyn Lemonade," a simple combination of fresh lemon and bourbon with a mouth-watering, refreshing acidity; and a seasonal cocktail using whole seasonal fruits ( (in order from left to right in the photo), each of which is a choice. Incidentally, January's seasonal cocktail is the "Strawberry & Basil," which uses whole strawberries and is spiced with basil in a ginger ale base.
All three said they do not usually drink much alcohol, and "I was a little apprehensive because I have only had shots of whiskey," but the crafty cocktail combining herbs and spices with bourbon was "easy to drink and delicious," and they kept coming back for more. It seems that even unfamiliar bourbon has been transformed into a favorable impression by being used as a cocktail base.
Another commented on the combination of hamburgers and cocktails, saying, "I have an image of a Coke with hamburgers, but with cocktails, I finally understand how to enjoy a gourmet burger.
A new ethnic instrument is coming!
As we talked to the ORE members during the preparation and performance in the studio and while changing locations to "J.S. BURGERS CAFE Shinjuku," Mr. Wada mentioned several times that he wanted to talk about science fiction movies. Is it possible that retro-futurism or science fiction ideas are at the root of your activities?
Our generation didn't touch open reels in real time. But I've seen it somewhere. It may be old, but it's cool, and there is a sense that it's something new that we've never seen before. Perhaps that sense of excitement is what makes me feel the world of science fiction and retro-futurism. Wada continues the conversation by saying, "For me, science fiction is the same thing, but I feel a sense of exoticism at the beginning.
In the beginning of a novel, there is a phrase, 'The past is a foreign country. I felt that the open reel was a folk instrument that came from a foreign country that I did not know, the past.
They originally formed a band out of their love of ethnic instruments, and this experience has led them to their current ORE. The chimera instrument, which is a combination of a violin and a trumpet, and ethnic instruments modified to electric specifications, are some of the elements that led them to their current activities.
If you ask me, the "CYCLE SHAKE" is based on something invented in the 19th century, with a little structure added for the purpose of making cocktails. It's like inheriting a gene and shedding its skin," said Wada. I feel the similarity with ORE, which adds a structure as a musical instrument to the open reel of the 1970s, which is still in operation as a recording and playback machine.
Bourbon and open reels that are commonplace to one generation are vintage to another. That is why they are seen as "old, but cool and something new that has never been seen before. The same can be said for the current boom in vinyl records and cassette tapes.
In this light, "CYCLE SHAKE" seems to be a new chimerical instrument from the past. The rhythmic and lively sound of the shaking that is played on this instrument may be like a birthday song that makes bourbon, a drink that Millennials have long been distantly related to, mild and approachable.
Just as a live music concert is a one-time-only event, the "CYCLE SHAKE BAR" is a craft bourbon bar that can only be experienced here and only for a limited time. Try it while it is open.
CYCLE SHAKE BAR Period: Friday, January 12, 2018 to mid-July (tentative) Store：J.S. BURGERS CAFE Shinjuku Hours: Weekdays 18:00-23:00 (L.O. 22:30), Sat. 18:00-23:00 (L.O. 22:30), Sundays and holidays 18:00-22:30 (L.O. 22:00) The business hours of J.S. BURGERS CAFE Shinjuku are different from those of J.S. BURGERS CAFE Shinjuku. Phone: 03-5367-0185 Instagram:@burgers.journal_standard.com
