from Akihiro Eguchi of Jigger ＆ Pony
Mrs. Rita, a chamomile scented cocktail
made with From The Barrel
FROM THE BARTENDER is a series where we speak with some of the world’s leading bartenders who regularly use From The Barrel, asking them about its appeal and what it makes possible behind the bar. This time, we sat down with Akihiro Eguchi (Aki) of Singapore’s acclaimed Jigger & Pony. Jigger & Pony is one of Asia’s standout bars and a regular fixture on The World’s 50 Best Bars list. Alongside his work behind the bar, Aki leads menu development as the group’s Bar Programme Director, and he is also active internationally as a guest bartender and bar consultant. We asked him to share what makes From The Barrel special, and how he brings out its character in cocktails.
Akihiro Eguchi
Director, Jigger & Pony (Singapore)
He began his career at the age of 20 at the long-established jazz cocktail lounge Windjammer in Yokohama.
In 2007, he moved to Singapore. After building experience across several bars, he joined Jigger & Pony in 2013 as Bar Manager. Today, in addition to overseeing the management of the group’s seven venues (including Jigger & Pony) and the bottled cocktail PONY, he is also active globally as a guest bartender and bar consultant.
Something that was always there,
a timeless presence
How did you first come across From The Barrel?
Thinking back, I think I first noticed it on the back bar at a long-established place in Yokohama, where I started my career. It’s the sort of thing that, before you know it, has just been there beside you, so familiar you hardly remember ‘meeting’ it. In a good way, From The Barrel is a bit of an outlier among the whiskies from Japan. Many whiskies from Japan use kanji for the product name, but this has an English label, an iconic shape you can recognise just from the silhouette, and a distinctive presence when it’s lined up on the shelf. With its higher strength and bold flavour, it has a truly one-of-a-kind personality.
How do you personally like to drink From The Barrel?
For me, it’s either neat or as a highball. Spirits, after all, tend to be more aromatic and more delicious the higher the strength. From The Barrel is quite high in alcohol, so if you want to feel its best qualities most clearly, I’d recommend it neat, so neither the flavour nor the aroma is diluted. That said, I think what matters most is that everyone enjoys it in the way that tastes best to them.
How is whisky most commonly enjoyed overseas?
Lately, I’ve noticed more people abroad drinking Mizuwari (whisky and water). Not so long ago, many enthusiasts were quite against diluting whisky, but highball culture has spread widely, and now drinks with water are gaining ground too. If you’re going to drink From The Barrel with water, soft water is best, as Japan’s whiskies are typically made with soft water, after all. At Jigger & Pony, we use ultra-soft water from Hokkaido for Mizuwari.
I’m making a From The Barrel cocktail,
not a whisky cocktail
As a cocktail base, how do you decide
when to use From The Barrel versus other whiskies?
Rather than deciding which product to use, I think of it as creating cocktails built on combinations that only work with From The Barrel. When I’m designing a cocktail menu, I start by expanding my imagination from the aromas the spirit already has. So for me, it may be more accurate to say I’m not making a whisky cocktail — I’m making a From The Barrel cocktail.
Tell us about the first cocktail you ever made
with From The Barrel.
It was a cocktail called ‘Mrs. Rita’. From The Barrel infused with chamomile tea, combined with fresh juice and the like. It’s also a memorable drink for me because I got to make it when I first visited The Dead Rabbit in New York more than ten years ago. The Dead Rabbit is a legendary bar that was at the time often vying for the top spot on The World’s 50 Best Bars list year after year. I went there to drink and learn, and thanks to the bartender’s kindness, I was invited to make a drink behind the bar. That drink was Mrs. Rita. The Dead Rabbit is the kind of bar where spirits from all over the world line the back bar, and although From The Barrel hadn’t been released in the US yet, of course they had From The Barrel there.
Mrs. Rita
I finish it by adding orange liqueur, lemon juice, and a small amount of tonka beans to From The Barrel infused with chamomile tea. Chamomile is extremely aromatic, so I make sure the infusion is gentle and just right.
What was the idea behind Mrs. Rita?
I’d been wanting to try making a cocktail with From The Barrel. There aren’t classic cocktail recipes that use Japanese whisky, and it wasn’t really seen as something you’d reach for either. But one day, at the World’s 50 Best Bars event, I had a Manhattan made with Nikka Coffey Grain, and this inspired me. It made me realise Japanese whisky could work in cocktails. With From The Barrel, you can sense a floral aroma, so I used chamomile to match that. Then I added lemon to complement the chamomile. In that way, I layered ingredients to bring out the original aromas.
Could you share some other original cocktails you’ve made with From The Barrel?
For example, the Manhattan and the Boulevardier that are still on the Jigger & Pony menu. Cocktails contain alcohol, so I think they have to taste like alcohol; that’s the point. But if you’re making it into a cocktail, you want to take something that’s delicious neat and make people feel it’s even more delicious. So I really value ingredient pairings that let you clearly taste the base spirit, while lifting its character even further.
Manhattan
When you add a flavour made by distilling cacao to From The Barrel, the aroma really stands out. Then we add sweet vermouth and a cherry apéritif, finishing it as a Jigger & Pony original that emphasises the nuances of the ingredients more than a typical Manhattan.
Boulevardier
We combine From The Barrel with an Italian bitter liqueur, sweet vermouth, and chocolate bitters. I first made it when a male guest asked me to recommend a whisky-based drink. A Boulevardier is originally bourbon-based and a little sweet, but by using From The Barrel instead of bourbon, you get a more powerful flavour.
Becoming a gateway to Japan’s whiskies
From your perspective,
where is the cocktail scene heading right now?
I feel we’re in an era of quality execution, with the focus on how far we can raise the overall standard. Over ten years ago, there was a phase where ‘unique combinations are the answer’, but the sense I get now is that the new techniques for cocktails have largely been explored, and the excitement has settled. In practice, I think you can now enjoy highly satisfying cocktails in more bars than before, with real attention paid to the details: flavour and balance, texture and temperature, and even the presentation, including the glass. And it also feels like the audience for cocktails is widening.
When you say the audience is widening,
what do you mean?
I get the impression that younger people are increasingly starting to drink cocktails. In Japan, for instance, ‘bars’ used to feel intimidating, with a sense of high barriers, strict manners, and rules. But recently, more bars have lowered those barriers, offering cocktails that are casual yet high quality. Of course, formal, prestigious bars are wonderful too, but wanting more people to drink cocktails is also what we’re aiming for. Maybe in ten years, young people will drop into bars even more casually than now and enjoy proper, authentic cocktails. I’d be happy to see that, and I’d like to help make that kind of world a reality someday.
The From The Barrel Soap Dispenser,
sparked by Aki and adopted by many.
I’d been thinking about whether the empty bottles, with that distinctive shape, could be used for something. Then it occurred to me that filling one with hand soap would be fun. At Jigger & Pony, we serve a lot of whisky cocktails, so placing it in the bar’s restroom helped strengthen the overall world of the place. I’m genuinely glad so many people have copied it, and I hope that these kinds of varied little triggers will lead more people to take an interest in cocktails and bars.
From The Barrel filled with brown hand soap
Finally, what does From The Barrel mean to you?
I feel From The Barrel has the potential to become a kind of gateway to whiskies from Japan. Many guests look over the back bar, so a bottle’s ‘face’ matters more than you might think, and this one’s distinctive presence really catches the eye. Because Nikka’s blending skill and craftsmanship are concentrated into such a small bottle, it’s something I can confidently recommend when introducing Japanese brands to guests from around the world. For bartenders, it’s also extremely easy to use as a cocktail base, and a label without kanji makes it approachable for overseas guests too. As one of Japan’s representative whiskies, I’d love to see it travel further into the world, carrying its identity with it.
Jigger & Pony
Based in Singapore, it is one of the world’s leading bars. A constant presence on The World’s 50 Best Bars list, it continues to help drive Asia’s bar scene through refined service, a polished space, and a diverse cocktail menu that is refreshed each season.
As the Jigger & Pony group, it also operates Gibson, Live Twice, Humpback, Rosemead, Sugarhall, and Caffe Fernet.
