What I learned after starting a craft gin bar: There are fewer 'gin lovers' than I thought.
As the owner and bartender of the craft gin specialty bar 'Shinjuku Distillery,' this is a series where I talk about craft gin.
Previous post: Why is Japanese craft gin so expensive? The real reasons from the perspective of those who make and sell it
Before I started the bar, I was a bit mistaken.
I thought everyone who came to a craft gin bar loved gin.
I thought that the more I increased my knowledge of gin, the better I would understand my customers.
But once I actually started the shop, the reality was a little different.
Today, I want to write about the most surprising thing I've encountered after handling over 200 types of gin.
There are fewer gin lovers than I thought
I thought everyone who came to a craft gin bar was a gin lover.
But in reality, that's not the case.
People who found us on Google. People who came because they live in the neighborhood. People who were brought by friends.
There are also people who came 'just because they were curious.'
In fact, there are fewer people who say, 'I came because I love gin.'
So, the role of my shop is closer to
'rather than selling gin, helping people fall in love with gin.'
Gin is rarely ordered neat
When people think of a bar, many imagine a world of tasting. However, in reality, those who drink it neat are in the minority.
What many people are looking for is not evaluation or analysis, but 'a drink they can enjoy.'
That is precisely why it is difficult for the shop. Just talking about knowledge is not enough. First, I need them to think it tastes good.
At our shop, gin sodas are ordered more than gin and tonics
This was unexpected. When you think of a typical way to drink gin, it's a gin and tonic. However, at our shop, gin sodas are overwhelmingly more popular.
They are conscious of calories. They don't get tired of drinking it. It's also easier to perceive the aroma.
As a result, they can drink more of it.
Customers are surprisingly rational.
A staff member's recommendation is truly powerful.
Even if 100 types of alcohol are lined up,
customers cannot choose.
Therefore,
a single word like 'This one is interesting today'
decides it.
No matter how good a gin is,
if its existence is not known, it will not be drunk.
Conversely,
I think conveying the charm of a single bottle of gin
is also the job of a bar.
And in reality,
an encounter with that one bottle
can sometimes turn someone into a gin lover.
The evaluation of the same gin can be completely opposite.
This is the most interesting part.
Even if I serve the same bottle,
there are people who say 'I love it,'
and people who say 'I don't like it.'
And both are correct.
It's the same as musical taste.
That's why I am troubled
when asked, 'What is the most delicious gin?'
Because there is no correct answer.
That's why it's interesting.
What I learned from handling over 200 types of gin is that
the fun of gin
is not just about the alcohol itself.
Who is drinking it?
What mood are they drinking in?
Who is recommending it?
Because of that, the same gin
becomes something completely different,
and that's why I never get bored of it.
Every time I see a new gin,
I find myself thinking,
'Who will this resonate with?'
And it's the same when I make gin myself.
What kind of aroma should it have?
Who do I want to drink it?
What kind of scenery do I want them to imagine?
While thinking about such things,
I am also making 'Shinjuku Gin'.
There is no single right answer for craft gin.
That is why even now,
I get excited every time I see a new gin.
Even the same gin can receive different evaluations.
That is precisely why,
I never get bored, even with 200 varieties.
If you are interested in craft gin,
I would love for you to come and have a drink at my bar sometime.
Since I always have over 150 types of gin lined up,
I am sure you will find a bottle that suits you.
[Shinjuku-gyoemmae]
[Bar] Craft Gin & Whisky Bar Shinjuku Distillery
[Yotsuya-sanchome / Arakicho / Akebonobashi]
[Izakaya] Gin and Small Plates Distillery