Cocktail magic at Masu

At Masu Japanese Restaurant at Auckland's SkyCity, executive chef Nic Watt keeps a careful eye on even the smallest details.

So when you order a drink at the bar, it doesn't come with just any ice - you'll be given a glass with a crystal clear, deoxygenated ice cube inside.

And not only is the ice slowly pressure frozen for seven days in order to remove the oxygen and impurities, your ice cube will be hand carved from the slab, at just the right size to keep your cocktail cool without watering down the flavour.

"It's all about keeping the integrity of the drink," says Nic. "Deoxygenated ice has less impurities, and it's a lot harder, so it takes longer to melt. Crushed ice just dilutes the flavor."

Of course, ice this fancy was only created for a sophisticated drink to go with it, and that's another one of the acclaimed chef's specialties.

For more than a decade, he's been perfecting his own versions of traditional shochu, after learning how to make the drink while in Japan.

"Over there, it's often used for medical purposes, and flavoured with things like mushroom and nettle," Nic says. "But we wanted to use more appealing ingredients!"

The shochu infusions at Masu include flavours such as passionfruit, pineapple and feijoa, while other bespoke blends feature oaky, nutty or earthy notes, and are created using traditional ingredients such as barley, rice and wheat.

The cocktail list centres on sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami categories, and boasts exciting flavours such as roasted espresso beans, fennel and cucumber, chamomile and vanilla, and salted lychee.

While the restaurant also stocks a broad range of tried-and-true drops and local favourites, Nic says Kiwi drinkers are intrepid and usually open to trying something new. Currently, the most popular creations on the Masu drinks menu include the bestselling tamarillo shochu, as well as the specialty plumberry sawa cocktail.

When deciding which drinks make it on to the carefully crafted Masu cocktail list, the team look at factors such as what fruits are in season, as well as broader trends coming through on the bar scene overseas.

"We all come up with ideas together," Nic says. "Bartenders are often an international bunch, and are up with the play on cocktail world trends."

All this provides the perfect accompaniment to Masu's award winning cuisine, which includes succulent fare cooked in the traditional Japanese robata style over an open charcoal grill, and mouthwateringly fresh ingredients served up with a contemporary twist.

And if the chef is wanting a relaxing drink after a busy day at the bustling restaurant, what does he look for in an ideal cocktail? Nic believes it's all about the balance of flavours.

"The key elements of a good cocktail are the fruit and the herb," he says. "You need the herb for the aromatics, and the fruit and alcohol adds the acidity."

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