Into the ether

• By Alicia Yamachika
• June 13, 2023

Walking with my sister around Diamond Head one day, reminiscing about our childhood, we became deeply engrossed in a conversation about all the things they don’t teach you in high school. Read more

Live to eat

• By Alicia Yamachika
• May 9, 2023

I recently watched a fictitious movie about a young cook in Southeast Asia, toiling away at her family’s open-air noodle shop Read more

Out of the frying pan, into the fire

• By Alicia Yamachika
• April 11, 2023

Over black coffee, baked eggs and strawberry crêpes at my favorite brunch spot one Sunday Read more

The world through beer-goggle glasses

• By Alicia Yamachika
• March 7, 2023

College was an interesting time for me, during which I experimented with many controversial things, including my tolerance level. Read more

Beer for my horses

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Feb. 7, 2023

People either love Valentine’s Day or they hate it. Read more

New year solution

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Jan. 10, 2023

My mom once inquired if I could teach her how to tell, just by looking, if a bar could make a good margarita. Read more

A wish upon a bar

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Dec. 13, 2022

I was working the dinner shift at a high-end restaurant one evening when an elderly woman walked in. Read more

The bar is open!

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Nov. 9, 2022

I teach my bartenders that, if you truly want to control the crowd, use your eyes. Once your guest feels acknowledged, a simple, “I’ll be right with you,” will go a long way. Read more

Tricks and treats of the trade

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Oct. 11, 2022

Recently, I had the honor and the pleasure of coaching two young women bartenders — both in their early 20s — for their first-ever competition. Read more

Branching out

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Sept. 14, 2022

Happy Bourbon Heritage Month! In 2007, the United States Senate unanimously passed a bill calling for September to be known as National Bourbon Heritage Month, declaring bourbon as our national spirit due to its historic role in shaping our country. Read more

Letters to a young bartender

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Aug. 9, 2022

A few days ago, I received an email that caught me a bit off guard. Read more

Spirit of the samurai

• By Alicia Yamachika
• July 13, 2022

Since Father’s Day and National Martini Day both fell on the same day last month, I think it was only appropriate to celebrate our nation’s independence with a cocktail that has been equally as misunderstood as my teenage self once felt. Read more

Cocktails and dreams

• By Alicia Yamachika
• May 10, 2022

When I was 3 1/2 years old, my mother entered one of my drawings of horses into an art contest and it won. Read more

Smells like team spirit

• By Alicia Yamachika
• April 12, 2022

I was listening to a podcast recently, and heard someone say, “If I’m trying to build a winning team, I’m not going to recruit five point guards." Read more

The persistence of memory

• By Alicia Yamachika
• March 8, 2022

Sláinte, March 17 will be St. Patrick’s Day! While we will once again forego the annual block party this year Read more

The buzz about town

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Feb. 8, 2022

Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day, and while some look forward to the cupid-Hallmarked festivity with all the anticipation of E.E. Cummings in springtime, still others are paralyzed by musings of “‘Do I dare?’ and ‘Do I dare?’”. Read more

Morning brew

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Jan. 11, 2022

Ringing in the New Year is a time for resolutions and self-improvement. Read more

Punches for pooches

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Dec. 7, 2021

When I was around 6 years old, all my little sister wanted for Christmas was a dog. Read more

Jack rose among thorns

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Nov. 9, 2021

If you are a citizen of planet Earth, these past 19 months have probably thrown you for a loop, and needless to say, there were more than a few challenges. Read more

Beber de los muertos

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Oct. 12, 2021

As a child growing up in Hawaii, I clung desperately to any festivity that offered to accentuate the seemingly otherwise, muted holiday atmosphere. Read more

In beer we trust

• By Alicia Yamachika
• Sept. 7, 2021

As the hot Hawaiian summer continues to linger like fingertips on the encroaching blanket of an equally sweltering fall, is it any wonder that a simple glass of water — or even a cool lemonade — won't cut it? Read more