Kicks, Blooms, and Highballs: Yabu's New Signature Cocktails

A half-empty cocktail doesn't last very long. Not that night, quickly replaced by one more cocktail. And another. And then another. It was that kind of night...

And why not. Yabu launches its new and exclusive line of signature cocktails, curated by Erwan Heussaff, with a distinct Asian twist to pair with your favorite katsu dish. The collaboration features seven craft cocktails with strong Japanese flavor profiles to match certain cooking techniques, textures and flavors of Yabu's various styles of katsu. Katsu and a cool cocktail...a great dining experience at Yabu just got better. Meet the new cocktails, available only in Yabu's new Glorietta 5 branch.

Following the standards and philosophy of Takuyi Suzuki, regarded as one of the best Japanese bartenders known for his unique Japanese-style cocktails, Erwan Heussaff has applied the same standards in his shochu, sake, and whisky-based cocktails blending Asian ingredients for unique flavors.

A cool cocktail doesn't mean using a lot of ingredients, as Takuyi Suzuki believes 4-6 ingredients in one drink are more than enough. Erwan Heussaff's new craft cocktails reflect this philosophy, focusing on bold flavors from the freshest ingredients. Start with the Yabu's Kick, a sweet yet bold cocktail with a refreshing heat with whisky, casis, orgeat, lime, and cayenne. Citrus forward, smokey, and tart, with a pleasant kick from the cayenne for a unique blend of flavors. Smooth and easy, yet this cool cocktail doesn't hold back on flavor as the different ingredients add distinct notes to the whisky base.

Next, clean flavors with a refreshing sour note. The Yuzu Sour, a cool blend with Shochu, whiskey, lemon juice, yuzu sauce, simple syrup, and egg white, topped by a fresh shiso leaf. The deep flavors of the shochu and whisky base are complemented by sharp and citrus note of lemons and mildly sour sauce made with yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit, and tempered by the creamy egg white. A hint of mint from the shiso leaf caps the blend of flavors. Fun, flavorful, and just a bit naughty.

Fresh herbal notes spiked with wasabi, another uniques blend of flavors. The Jasmine Bloom, a smooth  concoction with jasmine tea concentrate, ginger syrup, lime juice, orgeat, wasabi syrup, and shochu, topped with a grated lime peel and a wooden spoon with wasabi paste. The tea and shochu combination is a soothing blend, with the ginger, lime and wasabi adding sharp notes balanced by the sweet orgeat, a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar and citrus. Complete the experience by simply dipping the wooden spoon with wasabi paste and stir. Don't worry about the spicy wasabi, the resulting blend is refreshingly smooth.

Simple, straightforward and tall drinks with minimal ingredients, yet packed with potent flavors. The refreshing duo of Honshea (L), with sake and lemon; and the Highball (R), with Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky (12 years), soda water, and angostura bitters, both light and easy, and perfect when paired with Yabu's pork katsu. The hint of alcohol is there, just to remind you that these deceptively mild mannered  cocktails can bite back if you don't treat it gently. Then again, you can just go with the flow and let the premium single malt and sake take care of the rest...

Another smooth pair, with Chie (L), a fresh and tart cocktail with ginger syrup, fruit juice, lime juice, egg white, sake, and whisky topped with a fresh fruit slice and cayenne powder, sugar, and salt; and the Kyohime (middle), a soothing blend of iced tea, lime, mint, and shochu, offer even more unique flavors. The Chie playfully combines contrasting flavors, with sharp and citrus notes and a subtle heat from the cayenne with the sake and whisky blend making each sip burst with a play of different flavors. Exciting, adventurous, daring...great for a few more rounds after a katsu dinner. If you prefer a minty and refreshing tall drink, then the Kyohime is a great choice, easy and mild, with just a hint of alcohol from the shochu base to slowly warm you up.

Yabu's kitchen then shifts to high gear serving its special Japanese-inspired bar chow to go with the different free-flowing cocktails...

...with its Tuna Tataki, light, fresh and clean flavors...

...Shrimp and Chicken Burger Sliders, with the familiar crispy outer layer Yabu's signature katsu is known for...

...and the unique Kyushu Katsu, your favorite katsu on a stick. Like the new and innovative cocktails, Yabu's bar chow is creative and fun, maintaining key elements of its signature dishes in bite-sized portions.

Bold, innovative, refreshing, and different. Yabu's new cocktails are all winners in my book. Available exclusively at Yabu Glorietta 5, go have a round or two. And another. And then another...

And here's more good news. You can enjoy all these cocktails at 50% off with Yabu's Happy Hour, 5pm to 8pm, Mondays to Thursdays. Now that calls for a round of drinks...

Yabu: The House of Katsu is located at the Second Floor, Glorietta 5, Ayala Center, Glorietta Complex, Makati City, or call 823-6903 for inquiries and reservations.

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