Blog
Stories from behind the bar: cocktails, ramen, Japanese culture, and life on the Lower East Side.
SakeAug 10, 2026What Is a Matcha Sake Bomb? Juraku's Signature Drinking RitualA shot of matcha sake, a cold Asahi, and a chant the whole table has to learn. Half of it is the drink. The other half is what happens before you drink it.FoodAug 8, 2026Tebasaki: Nagoya's Fried Chicken Wings, and the Two Ways to Make ThemJapanese fried wings come in two schools, and they disagree about flour. Ours follows the older one — no coating, fried twice, glazed sweet and salty.FoodAug 5, 2026Why We Built a Handroll Bar Instead of a Sushi ProgramOmakase counters are opening everywhere. Most of the time I just want simple, fresh sushi — and our kitchen is small, so the menu had to be designed around that.WhiskyJul 20, 2026Mars Iwai Natsu: Japanese Whisky Finished in Umeshu CasksA limited annual release from Mars Komagatake in Nagano — Iwai Tradition finished six months in Japanese plum wine casks, with a sweet-and-sour plum finish built for summer.CocktailsJul 13, 2026Garappa #01: A Gin Made With Shochu Technique, Not Gin TechniqueYamamoto Shuzo builds this on honkaku shochu and distils each of its five botanicals separately, using the methods they already use for shochu.WhiskyJul 12, 2026Plum Syndicate: Our New Summer Bourbon Cocktail With Umeshu, Yuzu, and Red ShisoA bourbon cocktail built for summer: Syndicate Hudson Region 845 bourbon, five-year-aged umeshu, yuzu, and red shiso concentrate.ShochuJul 6, 2026Seifuku: Ishigaki Awamori, Undiluted and UnpasteurizedFrom the southernmost awamori island. Seifuku Vintage is aged three years and bottled at 43% with nothing added or taken out — and they make a coffee liqueur on the same base.FoodJul 4, 2026What Is Hiyashi Chuka? Japan's Cold Summer RamenCold ramen noodles, fresh toppings, and a bright dressing — Juraku's take on Japan's classic summer noodle dish.EventsJul 3, 2026What Is Tanabata? The Story Behind Japan's Star FestivalThe legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi, the tradition of writing wishes on tanzaku, and how Juraku is celebrating this summer.CommunityJul 1, 2026From World Champion to Juraku Regular: Meet Miyo YoshidaTwo-time WBO world champion boxer, Juraku regular, and one of our proud sponsorships — the story of Miyo Yoshida.CommunityJul 1, 2026July at Juraku: Summer Is Here, Big Events Ahead, and Thank YouA summer update from Kiyo: a thank-you for the response to a fundraiser in memory of his mother, what's on for July, and the return of Hiyashi Chuka.
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