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Stirred family1890

Bamboo（バンブー）

Bamboo served in a coupe glass
バンブー · 1890sCoupe · Stirred

Sherry and vermouth in equal measure — Yokohama's gift to the aperitif hour.

Recipe →

01Recipe

Recommended recipe

House spec — an editorial spec drawing on the sourced versions below.

Ingredients and measures
IngredientMeasure
Fino sherry45 ml
Dry vermouth45 ml
Orange bitters2 dash
Angostura bitters2 dash

Total volume (pre-dilution)

  1. 01

    Add all ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice.

  2. 02

    Stir until well chilled.

  3. 03

    Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish.

Garnish — Lemon twist · or olive

02Taste profile

Sweetness
30Light
Sourness*
0Faint
Bitterness
45Moderate
Fruitiness
35Light
Herbal*
38Light
Alcohol
38Light
Crisp
55Moderate

Independent editorial scores, 0–100. *Estimated from the ingredient list — a profile sketch, not a verdict.

03History

Louis Eppinger, a German-American bartender at the Grand Hotel in Yokohama, is credited with the Bamboo in the 1890s — one of the few classics whose birth certificate is Japanese.

The recipe reached print through William Boothby's 1908 'The World's Drinks and How to Mix Them', and quietly survived the dark ages of sherry to become the craft revival's favorite low-alcohol argument.

In Japan the drink never really left: Yokohama's Bar Sea Guardian keeps Eppinger's flag flying, and the Bamboo remains the standard answer to 'what was the first great cocktail made in Japan?'

Origin contested — the entry keeps verified record and received legend distinct.

Sources — Boothby (1908) · Difford's Guide · Wondrich, Imbibe! (2007)

04Recipe versions

Each version is shown exactly as recorded in its source — unverified claims are flagged.

Total volume (pre-dilution)
  • Boothby's World Drinks

    Boothby's World Drinks

    William T. Boothby · 1908 · Book · unverified

    • sherry and dry vermouth1 part

    Stir, strain.

    The printed record that carried Yokohama's invention.

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05Variations

06The map
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