S3E3: Classical Pairings Drinks in the Atmosphere at Bar One Fourteen

Nick Johnson (00:00:04):

All right. Hello Everybody, and welcome back to another episode of Classical Pairings. I am your host, Nick Johnson. And in this show, I get to go around town and meet some fascinating people and fascinating locations to see what all is going on with cocktails and food and desserts, beer, all sorts of fun things. Um, and then I come up with some classical music to pair with it. Um, trying to think about how art fits in with the city and other things. But today is no exception. Speaking of being in fantastic locations with fantastic people. I am currently sitting at what is probably one of the best listening rooms in the city at Bar One Fourteen. This is, uh, a, uh, a luxe microbar, dining and high fidelity listening room. I read off the menu, but I would, from everything I’ve had so far, completely agree with that. We are at 49th of Pennsylvania. Um, this, uh, is the, this bar is part of the Patachou incorporated, the, the family of restaurants, that sort of thing. I knew it from being next to Napolis, um, and across the street from Apocalypse Burger. I believe it’s called. Yeah. Um, anyway, a, a fascinating space here, but before I keep rambling, how about I go ahead and introduce my fantastic guest, Daimien Weems. Who is the, What is your actual title here? Sorry. Introduce yourself.

Daimien Weems (00:01:20):

Hey, what’s up? I’m Damien, I’m Daimien. Uh, my title is long-winded. Um, I am the, uh,

Nick Johnson (00:01:25):

Give it all, It’s a podcast. There’s no end time, so yeah, give us the whole title.

Daimien Weems (00:01:29):

Yeah. Cocktail Program Director for the entire company. So I am recreating the cocktail menus for everyone, including Bar One Fourteen, and then I, uh, run Bar One Fourteen itself.

Nick Johnson (00:01:39):

Okay, Fantastic. You said what cocktail? What’d you say? Manager?

Daimien Weems (00:01:42):

Uh, Cocktail Program Director.

Nick Johnson (00:01:44):

Cocktail Program Director, Yes. Yeah, I like that. Cocktails need a program director. It sounds like you’re like leading a cruise or something through the scene.

Daimien Weems (00:01:51):

Does it?

Nick Johnson (00:01:52):

Yeah, I guess maybe you are. Uh, how long have you been here at Bar One Fourteen?

Daimien Weems (00:01:56):

Um, going on two and a half years.

Nick Johnson (00:01:58):

Okay, Fantastic. For a while. I am, uh, when we briefly met earlier, I told you this already, but I’m ashamed to admit that I had not been to this bar before.

Daimien Weems (00:02:07):

I heard.

Nick Johnson (00:02:07):

Which, uh, is a problem that after this episode, I will continue to rectify. Um, it, And so I will say this also to listeners. If you love cocktails and if you love music, which I don’t know why on earth you would be listening to the show, if you don’t, uh, you should absolutely come and check out this bar. Um, there’s, I mean, a beautiful display of records that I’m looking at right now and then to my right is a beautiful display of bottles from all over the world. I’m sitting on a comfortable, sort of, is this velour? I, I don’t know.

Daimien Weems (00:02:33):

I think it’s like faux horse.

Nick Johnson (00:02:35):

Faux horse hair? It’s comfortable. That’s what I do know.

Daimien Weems (00:02:38):

That’s, Yes.

Nick Johnson (00:02:39):

This is a good spot to set and have a drink. Um, and, and when it’s warmed, you have some seating outside as well. Right.

Daimien Weems (00:02:44):

We will, um, once patio season’s like up and going, we won’t serve food there, but we’ll have cocktails out there for guests and whatnot.

Nick Johnson (00:02:51):

Why don’t you give, I mean, I’m kind of describing the room a little, but, but can you give a little bit of your idea of the vision of what Bar One Fourteen is and what would, what should a customer expect?

Daimien Weems (00:03:02):

All right, So for starters, we’re a, uh, microbar, a listening room, um, act as a sensory bar as well. So as a the night progresses, music gets very loud and it gets extremely dark. So it doesn’t leave room for a lot of conversation. You’re really here to vibe out. Um, let your senses go and just listen to music. Um, as far as our menu, our cocktail menu is all Japanese forward. I like to kind of infuse the American cocktail bar with the, uh, Japanese or the cocktail, if you will. Hmm. Um, seasonal cocktails. We have, I think about 10 ish, um, rounding. We have a bit of a premium cocktail section. Which will have, um, more higher end spirits, higher end ingredients. We also have your classics and kind of to infuse that American with Japanese, I use Japanese spirits, but with the traditional American builds.

Nick Johnson (00:03:52):

So, um, I wanna keep talking about Bar One Fourteen but I have an ignorant question first.

Daimien Weems (00:03:57):

Oh, yeah

Nick Johnson (00:03:57):

I, I did not know that Japan had much of a cocktail tradition. Um, do you know much about it? Or, or why Japan? Why, why is that what you’re choosing as the link?

Daimien Weems (00:04:05):

Why Japan? Um, I was inspired by two people. One, um, Momose who runs Kumiko and that is in Chicago, and Katana Kitten is in New York. I have two of their books. And that kind of inspired me to go this route. Um, they have a lot of rich tradition and they never had to experience prohibition, so that’s also a fun fact. Um, so it allowed them to go crazy with their cocktail menus, their cocktail bars in general. Um, each one has its own identity, if you will.

Nick Johnson (00:04:36):

Yeah, Okay.

Daimien Weems (00:04:38):

So, yeah, I kinda wanted to introduce that here.

Nick Johnson (00:04:40):

Yeah. When, I know Japan definitely entered the whiskey market in a major way, 20 years, something like that. I don’t even know how long they’ve been doing it. Probably a lot longer than that.

Daimien Weems (00:04:48):

Longer, Way longer than that.

Nick Johnson (00:04:49):

Yeah. But I guess that’s about when I became aware of it, I guess. Which, um, but, uh, and when I even, I’m just, I’m just skimming the menu here and I know we’re gonna be trying a few things here. I pride myself in knowing a fair amount about cocktails as just an basically a, an amateur with too much time on my hands. But there are so many ingredients here that I don’t recognize that I cannot wait to try. But, um, we’ll get into to, to some of those specifics. Um, so, uh, you said sensory deprivation?

Daimien Weems (00:05:19):

Yes

Nick Johnson (00:05:20):

Why?

Daimien Weems (00:05:21):

Why? So that was kind of the, um, idea when I first got here. Um, and I kind of just pushed it a hair. Um, so it gets a hair darker in here. It’s, Sorry, you’re pretty much lit. Bike handle. Okay. And thin lighting.

Nick Johnson (00:05:39):

Yeah. Yeah. So do you think that that enhances the experience of, of the

Daimien Weems (00:05:43):

I think it does. Um, and it’s, it does enhances the music. It enhances the smell of things, the taste of things. I mean, you’re in such a small room, so you’re kind of just like, it’s a, I messed with your mind a little bit.

Nick Johnson (00:05:54):

Yeah. And so I didn’t actually say it. And since this is a music show, I should, you guys have some fantastic speakers in here, right?

Daimien Weems (00:05:59):

Yeah. So they’re all donated by clitch. Um, Mark introducing to his wife, and he donated us with the, I wanna say heritage series threes. Um, we have a few theater speakers in here as well. Um, and some outside.

Nick Johnson (00:06:12):

Yeah, So I will just say when, when we met, uh, last week, uh, I had you play just a little bit of it, um, and I’ll just say for my ears, it was fantastic. And I know that we weren’t at full volume yet or anything cause we were still talking, but felt the, the, the clarity of sound with also, like, I could tell that there was, there was a deep end. There was a bass that you were, I think, not [laughter] letting it quite shine cause we were still having conversation. But it was an impressive sound system.

Daimien Weems (00:06:37):

Thank you, Thank you

Nick Johnson (00:06:37):

Especially, um, like as, as I look around the room, I can see that you’ve really kind of thought about like, you have two turntables, right? Cause you, you, you always have one queued up and ready to go.

Daimien Weems (00:06:47):

Yeah.

Daimien Weems (00:06:47):

Um, you also have, you can play, What else can you play in here? Sorry.

Daimien Weems (00:06:50):

So we can play anything from our phones. Uh, we have a dongle back here for iPhones and whatnot. We have a double decker record player. The bottom one is a floating, uh, record player. The other one is sitting onto a wooden ledge that was made for it. Uh, we can play inside outside

Nick Johnson (00:07:05):

So it never skips or something when someone walks by it sort of thing.

Daimien Weems (00:07:08):

Exactly

Nick Johnson (00:07:08):

I get that in my house. It’s so annoying.

Daimien Weems (00:07:09):

It is. It is. Okay. Yeah. No.

Nick Johnson (00:07:12):

Okay. And then you have reel to reel or something, Is that

Daimien Weems (00:07:15):

It’s fine, decoration.

Nick Johnson (00:07:17):

It’s a decoration.

Daimien Weems (00:07:18):

Decoration.

Nick Johnson (00:07:18):

That’s just fine.

Daimien Weems (00:07:19):

Yes, No time for to, uh, load that up during service.

Nick Johnson (00:07:22):

Um, and so you said when you’re choosing music for the night, you go for a particular vibe?

Daimien Weems (00:07:26):

No. Oh, okay. It kind of just really at random. Um, it’s, when I come in, I’ll either have the team choose four records and we’ll compile and go from there or it’s just, I’ll walk in and say, whatever you gonna do tonight. Yeah. And then throughout the night, if I need to change things up that aren’t in there, I’ll just go through and just choose records as the night goes on.

Daimien Weems (00:07:45):

Okay. Nice. I love, something you said to me though when we talked last week, is that you play, um, a whole side of a record usually. Right? You’re not just doing singles, you’re, you’re actually letting an art, which I don’t know, I’m a record snob myself. I and when I list, when I do listen digitally, I always turn, shuffle off. I hate shuffle so much. I went to listen to the, the, the album, the way the artist envisioned that album, which I realize is snobby of me. And there are many genres of music that, that doesn’t actually matter. But I love that you guys play right? Pretty much whole side. You said even sometimes you play whole records.

Daimien Weems (00:08:17):

Whole records, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Kind of just depends if the records can, uh, hold through for the entire guests, stay, or if it feels a little stale at the time, we’ll need to change it. But yeah, for the most part I used to play.

Nick Johnson (00:08:27):

So, okay, so wait, you said stale. Are you, do you like read the room as much as you can see people?

Daimien Weems (00:08:31):

Yeah.

Nick Johnson (00:08:31):

And to see just like if they’re into a particular artist.

Daimien Weems (00:08:34):

You can feel it immediately, like the room is so small that you feel everything still.

Nick Johnson (00:08:38):

Interesting.

Daimien Weems (00:08:38):

Um, if you feel that the crowd doesn’t like it. You just immediately just do a slow, sexy fade

Nick Johnson (00:08:43):

[laughter]

Daimien Weems (00:08:44):

Switch it over, Yes.

Nick Johnson (00:08:46):

No, that’s interesting. I, I’m thinking about, you know, I play records at my house whenever we have people over. And you, I get that, that that same experience. So like, oh, that was a bad choice. I just put on a country record or something and people weren’t in the mood for that.

Daimien Weems (00:08:59):

For sure.

Nick Johnson (00:08:59):

It was time for me to sort of sneak back in, but I only have one turn table, so you get like a [inaudbile] have to switch. Anyway, um, I like that you were thinking so much about the Audible experience um, or the aural experience. I don’t know which one. That’s the whatever the music experience. Let’s say that. Um, Cause there are not a lot of places that really seem to care about that. Um, no. And I’ll just say to, to people who’ve not been here. Um, you mentioned Chicago and New York. I think it’s pretty fortunate that this bar exists in Indianapolis. To be totally honest, I think this bar would surprise some people.

Daimien Weems (00:09:35):

It does either in a good way or a bad way. Depends on what they, what they’re expecting.

Nick Johnson (00:09:39):

Yes. Yeah. I’m assuming you guys occasionally have a customer who doesn’t really know what they’re getting into.

Daimien Weems (00:09:43):

Yeah, we’ll have some people who’ll walk in like, oh, it’s really dark, and then it’s Oh, It’s really loud and say, Yeah, [laughter] Longer you stay it’ll get a little louder.

Nick Johnson (00:09:50):

Yeah, If somebody wants to check it out. What do they need to do?

Daimien Weems (00:09:54):

So Thursdays are, I think, like the best days for actual walk-ins, but typically you’ll wanna make reservations via open table two weeks in advance.

Nick Johnson (00:10:01):

Okay. And they can find that at

Daimien Weems (00:10:05):

baronefourteen.com.

Nick Johnson (00:10:05):

Okay. Perfect. You said two weeks in advance, typically? Yep. I’m assuming if it’s like a Valentine’s Day or something, you maybe need a little longer sometimes in advance or something. And then, so the, the visit is the visit is limited.

Daimien Weems (00:10:16):

It is two hours. Yeah. Okay. So every table is two hours long. Uhhuh. Um, we serve in an izakaya style as far as food. So everything comes out as it’s ready and, um,

Nick Johnson (00:10:25):

Wait, what was that word you just said? I’m sorry?

Daimien Weems (00:10:27):

Izakaya.

Nick Johnson (00:10:27):

Izakaya, Would you explain? I’ve never heard that.

Daimien Weems (00:10:28):

Um, so it’s say, uh, traditional Japanese bar for the most part, Uhhuh that, uh, focuses on like sake [inaudible] um, and also fast food service. I’ll say. Um, everything generally does kind of come out as it’s ready. So say you order something that’s in appetizer, quote unquote. Yeah. You might get that at the end of your meal or you

Nick Johnson (00:10:47):

Interesting. Okay. And so it’s sort of, Wow. Okay. So you’re kind of upending the, I don’t know where this tradition came from, but the, like that, that everybody has their food before you start eating kind of polite thing.

Daimien Weems (00:10:58):

Yeah, a little bit.

Nick Johnson (00:10:59):

A little bit. I don’t know. I wonder where that came from. I don’t know. I did cotillion as a kid. I probably was taught that. I’m from southern Missouri. We, Yeah. That’s why I’m so graceful and polite now. Um, but [laughter].

Daimien Weems (00:11:10):

Proper Gentleman

Nick Johnson (00:11:12):

Speaking of graceful and polite, do you know, would make me more graceful and polite? A cocktail. I’m ready to go if you are.

Daimien Weems (00:11:18):

All right, let’s do it.

Nick Johnson (00:11:19):

Um, so you’ve got two what that you’re gonna make. I actually have a quick question before we start this over. So how do you make them in the dark? Or do you have like your own candles during that

Daimien Weems (00:11:28):

Yeah, so there’s a little light back here

Nick Johnson (00:11:29):

Or do you make cocktails by feel? Okay.

Daimien Weems (00:11:31):

Um, so there’s a, the space is, it’s tight. You can fit three people. I don’t want to have three people, but it happens a lot. So yeah, it’s a fun little space

Nick Johnson (00:11:41):

So what’s the, what’s the first cocktail that you’re gonna make for us to try?

Daimien Weems (00:11:43):

First cocktail’s going be Shoga. It’s going to be, uh, starting busy. We’re gonna start there.

Nick Johnson (00:11:49):

Shoga. Oh, I see it here in the menu. Okay. Talk us

Daimien Weems (00:11:51):

Means ginger loosely in Japan. And Japanese

Nick Johnson (00:11:54):

Okay. I looking at these, so I see, I’m not gonna pronounce anything. I don’t, I see that there’s Rittenhouse. That’s the ingredient that I do know is Rittenhouse.

Daimien Weems (00:12:03):

Yes, Rittenhouse Rye is in here. Yeah. Thats the hair.

Nick Johnson (00:12:05):

Can you tell me what is ginger shochu?

Daimien Weems (00:12:10):

Yeah. So Ginger, well schochu in general is a spirit that is made in Japan of either rice, sweet potato, barley, koji, and a few other things as well. Um, this one specifically is made of, made with, uh, rice and barley. Also with ginger. It is, Do you like ginger?

Nick Johnson (00:12:31):

I do like ginger, Yes. That’s so you have chosen.

Daimien Weems (00:12:34):

Because it is ginger forward.

Nick Johnson (00:12:36):

Oh, okay. Okay. So this is gonna be more than like a Moscow mule or something. I’m gonna get hit with more ginger than that?

Daimien Weems (00:12:43):

Yes. Ginger. And this one is also meant to play with your senses as well. You’ll have a glass that is filled with a, uh, mixture of hickory and all their smoke. And then you will have an all natural Japanese incen that’s called autumn leaves. Um, that pairs nicely with the cocktail

Nick Johnson (00:13:00):

Wait a minute. All right. So you are, um, currently, So by the way, to, to the listeners who aren’t in this, this fantastic room right now, I’m still sitting over at the table enjoying myself. Uh, but Damien move has moved over to the bar and I see that you are not only getting a cocktail where you were getting incense ready. So you were like that.Wow. Okay. I love the all. Yeah, I see what you mean by sensory now. And it’s, I mean, so much of our taste is from smell. It is, I don’t know why more? Why do more, more bars not do incense? I guess they just don’t care as much as you guys do, right?

Daimien Weems (00:13:29):

Uh, Yeah, I’ll say that. And I’m hearing, so, and then what is this?

Daimien Weems (00:13:33):

Uh, just a smoker. This is the, uh, mixture of hickory and alder smoke here.

Nick Johnson (00:13:38):

Oh, you’re smoking the glass with it. Yes. So you’re smoking the glass, plus you have incense going. This is, uh, so by the way, if you are listening, there will be a couple pictures of, of these concoctions on Classical Music Indy’s social media. I’m already, um, pretty excited about what’s happening here. Um, so the next ingredients I see is, uh, and so I’m just looking at the, um, I’m looking at your menu and your menu doesn’t say incense. I just wanna point that out.

Daimien Weems (00:14:02):

No

Nick Johnson (00:14:03):

Or smoke

Daimien Weems (00:14:03):

These are surprises.

Nick Johnson (00:14:05):

[laughter] But I see, um, I might be mentioning now think is Cocche Rouge

Daimien Weems (00:14:10):

Cocchi Rouge, Yes. It’s going to be a, uh, vermouth.

Nick Johnson (00:14:13):

That’s vermouth. Okay. Is that also Japanese or?

Daimien Weems (00:14:16):

It is not.

Nick Johnson (00:14:17):

It’s not. Okay.

Daimien Weems (00:14:18):

It is Italian.

Nick Johnson (00:14:19):

This is [laughter] There. We, I am a, um, sucker for presentation myself. This is stunningly beautiful. So, so the, Oh, wow. Okay. So right now I am simply inhaling the aromas of that was the smoke gun and the incense. And so the glass, which by the way, it’s a beautiful etched glass, hopefully when people come. But I actually, I wondered that maybe they feel it more than see it.

Daimien Weems (00:14:42):

You can feel it, you can see a bit in your, um, candlelight

Nick Johnson (00:14:44):

Like in your candlelight and sort of will reflect and catch the, That’s beautiful. And then the cocktail itself is actually in a, a little bottle next to all of this. Um, so I take it, I am to pour this out.

Daimien Weems (00:14:55):

You are to pour this in completely.

Nick Johnson (00:14:57):

Fantastic

Daimien Weems (00:14:57):

And then go at it.

Nick Johnson (00:15:00):

All right. So I, it’s a beautiful color kind of from a ginger based drink. I did not expect this sort of rose.

Daimien Weems (00:15:06):

You get that from a Cocchi Rouge itself, Yes.

Nick Johnson (00:15:12):

Wow. Okay. Um, I know that my job is sort of to describe like sensory things [laughter] but I’m honestly kind of at a loss for words here, which well done. I, I talk all the time. Um, and I don’t exactly know how to describe what I’m smelling here other than it’s amazing. Like, that’s a good thing.

Daimien Weems (00:15:29):

Thank you. Thank you.

Nick Johnson (00:15:30):

And the incense sort of like surrounding the glass as I, um, as I, at the moment I’m only nosing the drink. I haven’t started tasting it yet. Um, what did you say the incense is and how did you, like, do you pick the incense specific to the drink?

Daimien Weems (00:15:45):

Yeah, so I just bought I think one to the, about six of them, and then just went through each one and then tasted each drink.

Nick Johnson (00:15:52):

Oh, okay. Interesting. How many of your, how many of your drinks usually have incense?

Daimien Weems (00:15:55):

Just this one.

Nick Johnson (00:15:55):

Just this one, Just this one. Okay. Okay.

Daimien Weems (00:15:57):

Each one

Nick Johnson (00:15:59):

I can see, because in the room if there were like 30, well, not 30, there’s not that many seats in here, but there’re like, No,

Daimien Weems (00:16:03):

16

Nick Johnson (00:16:03):

16 seats. Yeah. 16, 16 seats. Everybody. That’s why you need to make reservations. That is why this fantastic bar. But so this 16 seats, that would be a lot of incense though, if you had 16.

Daimien Weems (00:16:12):

It has happened to the point where I’ve walked into the room and I’m like, Man, why’s so smokey? And the bartender tell me, Daimien will say, Hey, yeah, I just made about six of ’em. And I say, Yeah, that’ll do it.

Nick Johnson (00:16:21):

Okay. The first thing I’m hit with is floral. That’s probably from the, the rosa. Yep. Right.

Daimien Weems (00:16:27):

Uh, Rosa. And that ginger has a little, uh, floral note too.

Nick Johnson (00:16:29):

Oh, okay

Daimien Weems (00:16:29):

As Well, Okay.

Nick Johnson (00:16:30):

And then, so I’m letting it, I took just a little sip here, and now I’m just kind of letting it sit on my tongue. Now I get the ginger and it’s, but it’s a very, um, real tasting ginger Yeah. Compared to like a cheap ginger beer or something. Right?

Daimien Weems (00:16:42):

Oh, certainly definitely.

Nick Johnson (00:16:43):

Um, which, you know, there’s certainly times for a, I actually tend to do Kentucky Mule is, is my mule.

Daimien Weems (00:16:49):

Same

Nick Johnson (00:16:49):

And there are times that that is the right drink. If you are,

Daimien Weems (00:16:51):

There are times it’s the right, Right spots, the right time.

Nick Johnson (00:16:54):

But this one actually kind of smells and tastes like ginger, I feel with this glass and presentation. Um, I don’t think they tended to drink this. Well, you ever seen like Dowton Abbey or the new show, The Gilded Age? Have you seen that one yet?

Daimien Weems (00:17:07):

Religiously, It’s probably one of the best shows. So just reading this.

Nick Johnson (00:17:10):

I feel like I’m experiencing this right now, but Go ahead.

Daimien Weems (00:17:13):

Sorry. Exactly. I know my other app is reading the, uh, Vanderbilt book. Okay. And it lines up with the, uh, Gilded Age almost to the T. The characters are actually kind of referenced as well. So you can kinda get an idea of what’s gonna happen to some of these people at the end. It’s, it’s, It’s, it’s so good.

Nick Johnson (00:17:29):

Okay. Nice. Well, and so what I, you know, what I love about that show and Downton Abbey as well, is speaking of sensory, just like looking at, at the fabrics and the clothing.

Daimien Weems (00:17:37):

The clothing

Nick Johnson (00:17:38):

The food, and then the drinks and. Um, and so in some ways, I think maybe there’s this beautiful and delicate, uh, stemmed glass with, with very nice etching on it, um, with this fan-fantastic presentation. This is, and I’m feeling right now. I’m about what, four minutes into the drink? This is a little booze heavy.

Daimien Weems (00:17:58):

It is booze heavy, Yes.

Nick Johnson (00:17:59):

[laughter] I just noticed that in a very fun way actually. And I love Rittenhouse rye, but the, the rye blends so well with everything else that.

Daimien Weems (00:18:07):

It’s very light amount.

Nick Johnson (00:18:09):

If, if you had, Okay, I was gonna say, if you had handed me this and said, name the American spirit that’s in this, I would’ve had to list a hundred before I got to Rittenhouse rye. But I say that as a compliment as, um, that it all dances together so well, we, of.

Daimien Weems (00:18:25):

Our musical thoughts

Nick Johnson (00:18:25):

Yeah. Well, in, in an earlier seasons of our program, there would be a music guest. Um, this season we’re just doing me with the cocktail or beer or whatever, guest. Sometimes we have it or we just have a musician. Um, but in previous seasons, I could always sort of just let the music guest do the hard work of coming, coming up with the pairing. Um, I had some ideas that I’m now trying to decide because I’ll, I’ll tell you my, my original thinking. I, I, I come up with the, with the music during the show, but I kinda like try to think of a genre and idea in advance. And what this room reminds me of is just a classic salon. And in music culture, the salon was where, like chamber music happened where, um, violin sonatas or piano sonatas, or the small ensemble works. That would happen in rooms not much bigger than this. People, you know, in European tradition at the time, they probably weren’t drinking cocktails, but they were probably drinking wine. Um, maybe, maybe a spirit or brandy or something.

Daimien Weems (00:19:31):

Brandy or something. For sure.

Nick Johnson (00:19:31):

Yeah. Um, probably in the place of, I’m thinking of not a lot of beer. Um, but they would be drinking that and there would be performers and, and playing in a room, you know, with, there’s 16 seats in here, Not much bigger than that, but that’s where so much of the creativity happened. And, and that was often the first audience of a piece of music where a composer would try out new ideas before they ever made it to the concert stage. And that’s so, so first of all, but like, I think you guys have made a 21st century salon here.

Daimien Weems (00:20:01):

Oh, appreciate it

Nick Johnson (00:20:02):

Um, and that it’s, it’s, um, it’s, it’s vinyl and recorded music is, is what you’re playing, but it’s the same sort of atmosphere and the same sort of listening experience, um, for kind of a, a small group of people at any given time. Um, so anyway, I had been thinking about trying to, uh, uh, historical music that comes from the salon culture. So, uh, art songs is very common. So like music, there would be like a piano and a vocalist. Of that kind of thing. Um, or a solo piece on piano or something. Um, but then you hit me with the incense and the Japanese influence. And now I am, uh, although I think I’m gonna maybe go with something from sort of a salon culture here, and I think, I don’t think there’s not actually a, a French ingredient in this is there, Right? It’s.

Daimien Weems (00:20:54):

No

Nick Johnson (00:20:54):

You said it’s Japanese, Italian and American?

Daimien Weems (00:20:56):

Yes, sir

Nick Johnson (00:20:57):

Are the ingredients? Um, well, anyway, I’m gonna go with France anyway [laughter]

Daimien Weems (00:21:02):

And Martha loves France.

Nick Johnson (00:21:03):

So if, if fits, what’d you say?

Daimien Weems (00:21:05):

Martha loves France, so.

Nick Johnson (00:21:06):

Okay, Perfect. Well, and I think it’s actually the, the beautiful color and the beautiful glass, and I mean, so many, I’ve, I’ve been fortunate enough to, to spend some time in Paris. And a lot of places I’ve been in, in Paris are similarly interested in the sensory experience and the, either the listening environment or, I mean, so much of the food is about the aromas and so much the drinks or about the aromas and that kind of thing. Um, and about just sitting and listen and enjoying a thing. And I’m assuming, and most of your nights people aren’t just like sitting here on their phone or something the whole time, Right? You don’t have just like 16 people playing wordle

Daimien Weems (00:21:38):

No, you can’t even use a flash in here.

Nick Johnson (00:21:40):

So. Oh, nice. Good. I like that. Okay. Um, so I was trying to think of some, some sort of famous salon cultures of these sort of small artistic groups. And what I was thinking of is in the, for the early 20th century in Paris, um, there was this group of musicians and artists and poets, uh, who called themself the Aposh. And it looks like, it looks like Apache when you look at it. Um, but what it meant was hooligans.

Daimien Weems (00:22:07):

Okay

Nick Johnson (00:22:07):

And it was these musicians and poets that felt they were the artistic outsiders. That were doing weird different things that no one else in the city is doing.

Daimien Weems (00:22:14):

Very nice

Nick Johnson (00:22:15):

And in some ways, I think that’s kind of what’s happening in this room.

Daimien Weems (00:22:18):

Most definitely

Nick Johnson (00:22:18):

You’re doing weird artistic things that no one else in the city is doing.

Daimien Weems (00:22:21):

For sure.

Nick Johnson (00:22:21):

Um, now looking back at that, some of the people that were part of this were Igor Stravinsky and Claude Debussy and, uh, Maurice Ravel of the most famous composers of art music of the 20th century. But at the time, they were kind of a small little ragtag group doing what they wanted to do. Uh, membership sort of fluctuated within it. But I was thinking a piece. So, um, Ravel of, uh, Maurice Ravel was the composer I was thinking of. Um, and I think his music matches the sensory element of what I’m experiencing here. Um, and we’ll listen to a piece here in just a second. He, he is, uh, he is very well known today, uh, now a hundred years later, um, for his arrangements of other people’s works. He was an orchestrator, and as addition to, he was a composer, of course, but an orchestrator. And then he could take somebody’s piano work and then make it for an orchestra or something and make it just sound so beautiful. He was a master of tone color. And, and, um, experiencing music in multiple different shades and being able to like, tune in to different elements.

Daimien Weems (00:23:28):

Very cool

Nick Johnson (00:23:29):

And so I think that Ravel actually sort of fits for this room. I, I feel like if Ravel was alive today and lived in Indianapolis, that probably he would like this bar quite a bit. [laughter] Um, because of the attention to detail and the beautiful, I mean, um, I’m still enjoying the incense even that’s the great thing about this. I’m not actually actively sipping, but I’m still getting,

Daimien Weems (00:23:45):

Still getting something

Nick Johnson (00:23:47):

Yes, Yeah, exactly. Yes. Um, so I was thinking, um, he has a piano suite of five movements. Uh, the English title is mirrors. I don’t speak French, I speak German. And I, so it’s Miroirs or something. M-I-R-O-I-R-S. Um, I’m sure there’s somebody listening to this who just rolled their eyes. I’m sorry, listeners. Um, but anyway,

Daimien Weems (00:24:08):

You try, you try.

Nick Johnson (00:24:09):

Um, I kind of feel, I feel like if there weren’t recordings and there was just a piano in here, that this might be the kind of music. Um, so what we’re gonna do is let’s listen and I want you to let me know this cocktail’s your creation.

Daimien Weems (00:24:22):

Yes, sir.

Nick Johnson (00:24:22):

If you think that this music at all matches with your creation. Okay. Let’s, so let’s go ahead and give a a listen to the, the Suite by Ravel.

Music Plays (00:24:31):

[Miroirs by Maurice Ravel]

Nick Johnson (00:30:12):

All right. So we have been listening to Ravel’s piano work, Um, uh, Miroirs, Mirrors. We actually decided to listen to the fifth movement, um, sort of on a whim as we were finding a recording. But, so, um, I’ve got a couple thoughts actually, after hearing it, but what do you think, Damien, do you think that this pairs well with the sensory experience that you have created for me here?

Daimien Weems (00:30:31):

I, yeah. Yeah. I think so. I think around the 2:45 and 2:50 mark, um, the piano,

Nick Johnson (00:30:37):

I like, you’re getting so specific.

Daimien Weems (00:30:38):

I get specific. Yes, I’m really specific.

Speaker 1 (00:30:41):

Um, I, I can tell with the cocktails by the way that you like being specific. That’s a good thing as a bartender, but go ahead. I keep interrupting you.

Daimien Weems (00:30:47):

No, no, you’re good. You’re good. Um, I say, um, I can kind of like hear the floral notes and then after the 2:50 mark, more of a deeper piano kind of gave you more of the rye.

Nick Johnson (00:30:58):

Nice.

Daimien Weems (00:30:58):

And then I think just throughout the entire piece is probably, I would get more of these sensory and smell and whatnot.

Nick Johnson (00:31:04):

Yeah, and it’s so atmospheric.

Daimien Weems (00:31:07):

Yes, it is.

Nick Johnson (00:31:08):

And it’s, I have a feeling that if you were here enjoying a beverage, listening to the music, that other than the time of the music, like time of the outside world probably kind of disappears. Right?

Daimien Weems (00:31:19):

It does.

Nick Johnson (00:31:19):

You are, you’re, you’re in this moment.

Daimien Weems (00:31:22):

You are, Forget where you’re at.

Nick Johnson (00:31:24):

Exactly. Which is something I think is actually pretty rare in our like, 21st century lives. Right. We’re always heading to our next thing, or on our phones, being aware of things that are annoying.

Daimien Weems (00:31:32):

I agree

Nick Johnson (00:31:33):

But, um, to, what I love about that piece is it doesn’t, like it’s going somewhere but it’s not, you don’t really know where to going. Yeah. And it’s, you’re sort of just experiencing it and as opposed to maybe some pieces of, of classical music or, um, or pop music where you know that there’s a chorus about to happen, right? Or in classical music, you know, that there’s a big brass hit about to happen.

Daimien Weems (00:31:57):

Yes

Nick Johnson (00:31:57):

Like you could tell we’re building to something. That piece is just, it’s almost like just be content and be captured in this moment. Let this moment happen. You are alive right now. Experience your senses in this moment. And I think that you have with this, with the presentation with the drink, and that I, I’m sort of imagining me, you know, for the sake of your bar, we’re recording this during the daytime so that you guys can, um, be open normally. But I can imagine like being sort of just completely engrossed in, um, a moment that isn’t stress about whatever jobs or things like that.

Daimien Weems (00:32:35):

Exactly

Nick Johnson (00:32:36):

Um, I also, uh, as we were listening to me, it sort of sounded like smoke drifting. I don’t know, maybe that’s,

Daimien Weems (00:32:42):

I was gonna mention too, like smoke drifting and then kinda reminded me of the wind, or just like the air or whatever, just the way that it, uh, flowed went up, down, up, down. Kinda never know where it was gonna go almost.

Nick Johnson (00:32:53):

And so the French composers of this time, their sometimes called Impressionists, um, the composer himself hated that name, uh, Ravel. But people kept calling him impressionist because he, he was. So, the, the paintings would be like Monet. It was sort of the same time or brief right after and kind of inspired by. But the, those paintings that similarly capture a moment where it, it’s the light reflecting off a Lilly or something, right? Or off this bridge. And it’s this beautiful scene in which it’s, you can study it for however long you’re able, fortunate enough to look at the painting, but you can feel that it was like a, a capture of a moment with all of these different like glistening lights and things like that. Um, which is I think why people are still drawing over a hundred years later drawn to this kind of music. Cause I think we, as a people, I think we crave that feeling of, I don’t know if it’s authenticity or if it’s stillness and.

Daimien Weems (00:33:47):

For sure

Nick Johnson (00:33:47):

And calm and enjoyment.

Daimien Weems (00:33:50):

I mean, that’s why Martha opened the place because her grandfather gave her a bunch of classical music records.

Nick Johnson (00:33:56):

Oh, nice.

Daimien Weems (00:33:56):

She said, I might with these and then opened up the spot here.

Nick Johnson (00:33:58):

Do you guys ever do classical in here?

Daimien Weems (00:34:00):

Sometimes it’s, it, it’s, it’s

Nick Johnson (00:34:03):

It’s usually more

Daimien Weems (00:34:04):

So, yeah, yeah. It’s a hard sell sometimes. Just kind of depends on the group and whatnot. I can get away with it. I mean, I think I can, I played like Judy Garland live.

Nick Johnson (00:34:15):

Okay, nice, yeah.

Daimien Weems (00:34:16):

From like Carnegie Hall.

Nick Johnson (00:34:16):

Yeah, Beautiful.

Daimien Weems (00:34:17):

Yeah. No, so there are times.

Nick Johnson (00:34:19):

Maybe we should partner for a night at some point. I don’t know that that’s maybe a conversation for after the episode.

Daimien Weems (00:34:23):

Yes

Nick Johnson (00:34:24):

But if we could like, uh, because I was actually having a thought here that like listening to, in this sort of environment, listening to a whole symphony, a whole act of an opera or something, while also sipping on drinks and like this sort of like, um, all encompassing artistic experience. Anyway, I have finished that fantastic uh, what was it was Shoga Ginger?

Daimien Weems (00:34:48):

Yeah. Shoga And then just in parentheses just means ginger.

Nick Johnson (00:34:51):

Oh, I see. Okay. So Shoga’s the name of the cocktail.

Daimien Weems (00:34:53):

Yes

Nick Johnson (00:34:53):

It was amazing.

Daimien Weems (00:34:54):

Thank you. Thank you.

Nick Johnson (00:34:55):

But it is no more because I have finished it. And therefore it is time for round number two. So what do you have next for me, Daimien?

Daimien Weems (00:35:03):

All next you’ll have the, the, um, Opushon. I probably butchered that name. Um, so will say, um, options.

Nick Johnson (00:35:10):

Okay. The options. Very good.

Daimien Weems (00:35:12):

Um, and why it’s called Options is because with the cocktail you were offered either Nikka coffees, uh, gin, uh, or Iichiko Shochu. The Nikka coffee gin. Just keep it kind of short. Okay. It’s main highlight is the, um, [inaudible]. Um, which is a,

Nick Johnson (00:35:29):

The what?

Daimien Weems (00:35:31):

Um, so it is in the Yuzu family.

Nick Johnson (00:35:33):

Um, Okay.

Daimien Weems (00:35:33):

It’s kind of blast. Yeah. It’s in the blast.

Nick Johnson (00:35:36):

It’s, it’s a fruit.

Daimien Weems (00:35:37):

It’s a fruit. Sorry. And I’m getting tongue tied. So, no, it is, um, kind of the lime quote unquote, You should never say that, but it is of, uh, Japan. This one is, it’s floral. It’s extremely tart. Um, it’s fun. And then your, uh, [inaudible] is going to be, like I said, just a barley spirit,

Nick Johnson (00:35:56):

A barley spirit.

Daimien Weems (00:35:57):

Barleys.

Nick Johnson (00:35:58):

Like what, what sort of

Daimien Weems (00:35:58):

Spirit made of barley from Japan, so you have right now,

Nick Johnson (00:36:02):

Would that be,

Daimien Weems (00:36:05):

Let’s say like, um, let’s say notes, we’ll say, um, wheaty.

Nick Johnson (00:36:11):

So we’re sort of sort of wheaty versus citrusy.

Daimien Weems (00:36:14):

Exactly, exactly. Um,

Nick Johnson (00:36:16):

Do you want me to choose? I get dealers choice.

Daimien Weems (00:36:18):

You get dealers choice.

Nick Johnson (00:36:20):

So which am I getting?

Daimien Weems (00:36:22):

Either Shochu or Gin.

Nick Johnson (00:36:24):

Um, let’s go with the Shochu, because I’ve never had that before. All, but I’ve also never had the other thing.

Daimien Weems (00:36:33):

You’ve not, So how about we do this? I’ll give you a little bit of both.

Nick Johnson (00:36:36):

Um, this is a win for me as far as I can tell. Um, that is fantastic. I, interesting. Okay. I see here on the menu it says Japanese plum and effervescent.

Daimien Weems (00:36:48):

Yes, so your Japanese plum is going to be called Umeshu. Um, we use,

Nick Johnson (00:36:52):

That’s a spirit?

Daimien Weems (00:36:54):

It is a Japanese plum Brandi from Japan. Um, the fruit that flavors is called an uma. Um, you’ll get one with your cocktail. It’s a little round plum. That’s a little pit in the middle. Um, the flavor. It’s,

Nick Johnson (00:37:08):

You’re giving me a piece of fruit with the cocktail?

Daimien Weems (00:37:09):

Yeah

Nick Johnson (00:37:11):

Wow, you have thought about this experience quite a bit.

Daimien Weems (00:37:13):

Yes, a bit.

Nick Johnson (00:37:14):

I am impressed

Daimien Weems (00:37:15):

A bit and I’m only giving you the very quick notes, so you have to kind of come and experience it.

Nick Johnson (00:37:19):

Yeah, no, absolutely. I, um, I’m definitely a person who takes cocktails pretty seriously, but I am, rarely do I encounter someone who has thought about the entire sensory experience of it. The sight of it, the smell of it, the mouth feel, the taste of it. Like all of that in one sort of option here. Oh, option. Wait, I just did a pun. Did you hear it?

Daimien Weems (00:37:41):

Ding- Ding

Nick Johnson (00:37:41):

Did you hear that?

Daimien Weems (00:37:42):

I did hear that.

Nick Johnson (00:37:42):

I didn’t actually mean to do that. That was an accidental pun.

Daimien Weems (00:37:45):

It was good. It worked.

Nick Johnson (00:37:46):

Thank you. Um, okay. So it’s this plum liqueur, I see soda water. And then I chose, I think I chose the barley.

Daimien Weems (00:37:53):

You did. I gave you, I Shochu the Japanese barley thing. Yes.

Nick Johnson (00:37:56):

Oh, but I’m also getting a little taste of that. Wow, I have a tough job.

Daimien Weems (00:37:59):

You do have a tough job.

Nick Johnson (00:38:00):

Yeah, I have to go around the city and try the best things that are offered in Indianapolis, and then I just make up a piece of music and people are like, Yeah, that’s great. And that’s the show.

Daimien Weems (00:38:09):

Very nice. All right. So I’m gonna temper some ice here.

Nick Johnson (00:38:12):

Would you uh, Okay. Temper some ice. Would you explain that to my friends who have no idea what you mean? Because I completely know what you mean by that.

Daimien Weems (00:38:19):

Yeah. No. Um, I essentially want to make the ice appropriate to put into a cold drink. So right now, this drink is gonna be a hair warmer than the ice, and it’ll cause it to just shatter into little pieces and not be as clear and

Nick Johnson (00:38:31):

So you’re warming the ice.

Daimien Weems (00:38:32):

Exactly

Nick Johnson (00:38:33):

Just a little bit so it doesn’t crack.

Daimien Weems (00:38:35):

Exactly.

Nick Johnson (00:38:35):

Interesting.

Daimien Weems (00:38:36):

Our guys from cubicle deliver this to us weekly.

Nick Johnson (00:38:38):

So is that a local.

Daimien Weems (00:38:39):

It is local, yes.

Nick Johnson (00:38:40):

Cubicle, okay.

Daimien Weems (00:38:41):

Yes.

Nick Johnson (00:38:41):

And that’s what you Yeah. By the way, even like my water that I had when we came in, I was like, Hey, can I get drink water? You gave me this beautiful rectangular ice cube that filled the whole glass.

Daimien Weems (00:38:50):

You’re getting another one.

Nick Johnson (00:38:50):

That’s also cubicle. But.

Daimien Weems (00:38:51):

It is.

Nick Johnson (00:38:52):

You guys have even thought of the experience of drinking water.

Daimien Weems (00:38:54):

We have. So its gonna get a little noisy.

Nick Johnson (00:39:00):

So what am I hearing now?

Daimien Weems (00:39:02):

This is just a little torch.

Nick Johnson (00:39:04):

Just a torch?

Daimien Weems (00:39:05):

Yes, just a torch.

Nick Johnson (00:39:07):

The torch at the bar [laughter]

Daimien Weems (00:39:09):

It’s mainly used to

Nick Johnson (00:39:11):

I can’t see you at all cause you’re kind of around the corner.

Daimien Weems (00:39:13):

Yes. This is, Yeah, I’m always hidden. Um, this is kind of mostly used.

Nick Johnson (00:39:16):

You just hide back there and make torch noise. Exactly, Light things on fire.

Daimien Weems (00:39:20):

And then our chef uses this to brule on cheese.

Nick Johnson (00:39:24):

Oh, wait, So it’s like a creme brule torch.

Daimien Weems (00:39:25):

Yeah.

Nick Johnson (00:39:26):

Okay. What are you, oh, the ice. Your ice.

Daimien Weems (00:39:30):

Oh, yes.

Nick Johnson (00:39:30):

Oh, that’s how you’re warming it.

Daimien Weems (00:39:31):

Quick temper.

Nick Johnson (00:39:32):

Yes. Yeah, I knew that because I totally understood what you meant all along. But for the people who didn’t know what tempering ice meant, that was helpful.

Daimien Weems (00:39:38):

Now we know.

Nick Johnson (00:39:39):

Yeah, now they know. Because I always knew what you just, I’m sorry. So the ice will be properly tempered. And then is this, um, I’m, I’m assuming stirred into it.

Daimien Weems (00:39:57):

So we’ll give it a things it’s built and then we’ll give it a light stir.

Nick Johnson (00:40:01):

Okay. It’s built. That means everything’s poured into, everything’s poured into one glass.

Daimien Weems (00:40:05):

Yes, sir.

Nick Johnson (00:40:05):

Okay. Very good. I’m seeing a, a pretty wooden like bento box kind of thing over there.

Daimien Weems (00:40:11):

Yeah. Have a bamboo box here.

Nick Johnson (00:40:12):

A bamboo box.

Daimien Weems (00:40:13):

We filled with ice to keep temperature.

Nick Johnson (00:40:17):

The box will be filled with ice.

Daimien Weems (00:40:19):

Yes, it will.

Nick Johnson (00:40:20):

But not ice for me to consume. Just interesting.

Daimien Weems (00:40:22):

If you want to, you can, but it’s not really,

Nick Johnson (00:40:24):

I don’t eat a whole lot of box ice, but [laughter] Yeah. I never know. I, I, I guess

Daimien Weems (00:40:30):

Little parts.

Nick Johnson (00:40:31):

Um, I’ve also never had a cocktail, which there was ice kept around the cocktail, which is pretty clever actually. Why haven’t I had more of that?

Daimien Weems (00:40:39):

I do not know.

Nick Johnson (00:40:40):

Yeah

Daimien Weems (00:40:40):

Why have you not?

Nick Johnson (00:40:43):

It’s pretty great that they, So you, you have come up with all these based on some inspirations for some books and bars you’ve been to.

Daimien Weems (00:40:49):

Yes, sir

Nick Johnson (00:40:49):

It’s pretty fantastic that this bar gives you the freedom to, the creative freedom, right. To be able to create these amazing sensory experiences for people.

Daimien Weems (00:40:58):

Yeah. We’re very lucky and fortunate that we get the opportunity to use and have access to a lot of weird, funky ingredients and whatnot.

Nick Johnson (00:41:08):

Yeah. Okay. So, Oh, you’re, that’s right. You’re preparing both options, which is.

Daimien Weems (00:41:12):

I am.

Nick Johnson (00:41:13):

This is the host special here though, right?

Daimien Weems (00:41:15):

It is.

Nick Johnson (00:41:16):

When people come in, they’re gonna have to pick one.

Daimien Weems (00:41:17):

You’re gonna have to pick.

Nick Johnson (00:41:18):

Okay. Well, I’ll try to describe both of them with my fairly limited vocabulary that I will try. So I’m just watching from over here. I I normally, if I was here, I wouldn’t be able to see you, right? This is,

Daimien Weems (00:41:30):

You would not, I would be in a corner. So right now,

Nick Johnson (00:41:32):

Which honestly, I guess I, I could see the, the joy of it just appearing in front of you.

Daimien Weems (00:41:36):

Exactly

Nick Johnson (00:41:37):

Like, wait, what is happening right now? [laughter] So you also have a, um, you have seasonal cocktails, right? That, that rotate a little bit.

Daimien Weems (00:41:47):

Yeah

Nick Johnson (00:41:47):

Um, are these spring, are these winter or?

Daimien Weems (00:41:49):

So right now, um, this does not line up completely, um, with the, uh, Japanese micro seasons as I want to. So this coming summer we’ll do a little shift so that way I can kind of start fresh in a new.

Nick Johnson (00:42:03):

Okay

Daimien Weems (00:42:03):

And keep it going through the process.

Nick Johnson (00:42:04):

But, but the, these two that we’ve had, um, the Shoga and the Opushon, those will be on the menu for a couple months.

Daimien Weems (00:42:11):

For a couple more months.

Nick Johnson (00:42:12):

People come in and try those. Okay. Yeah.

Daimien Weems (00:42:14):

They’re

Nick Johnson (00:42:14):

And even when they go away, you’ll have just come up with more amazing things. Right?

Daimien Weems (00:42:17):

Exactly

Nick Johnson (00:42:17):

And actually, I mean, I’m seeing on your seasonal cocktails on Tuesday, I’m seeing eight options, and then I see three premium, and then several classic. Um, and that’s in addition to a fantastic wine list, which we haven’t even talked about. Um, and food, there’s options here. Um, do people tend to do, uh, dinner here and or snacks, or

Daimien Weems (00:42:40):

Typically, yes. Typically people are getting a full dinner as well

Nick Johnson (00:42:45):

With all the cocktails.

Daimien Weems (00:42:46):

Exactly.

Nick Johnson (00:42:46):

Okay.

Daimien Weems (00:42:48):

All right

Nick Johnson (00:42:48):

Fancy burger I see on the, the food menu. I’m sorry.

Daimien Weems (00:42:51):

Yes, There is a fancy burger

Nick Johnson (00:42:53):

That actually I, from everything I’ve seen, I believe you, that it’s fancy. And this cocktail that is coming to me, me right now looks extremely fancy. Okay. I, I sit performance, this is a wooden box about six inches tall with two glasses in it filled with ice around the glasses to keep them chilled. And by the way, a beautiful long ice cube that was tempered.

Daimien Weems (00:43:17):

Yes

Nick Johnson (00:43:17):

As I understand with the torch. And then, is this the plum here?

Daimien Weems (00:43:21):

It is, so it’ll have a little pit around the middle. So be careful when you’re eating around it.

Nick Johnson (00:43:25):

Okay. Very good.

Daimien Weems (00:43:26):

Um, what you’ll do is,

Nick Johnson (00:43:27):

Once I once broke my front or chip my front tooth on an olive in Vienna, and like, I didn’t have a way to fix it for three weeks. So I just had like, anyway, so I’ve learned to be careful.

Daimien Weems (00:43:37):

Yes. Very careful.

Nick Johnson (00:43:38):

But like, so I was smiling my way through customs and stuff. I got my way back to the country. But anyway, um, alright, so I have, there’s also, there’s two glasses here, two glasses. Describe to me what I’m supposed to do. Right?

Daimien Weems (00:43:50):

So what you’ll do, um, is take a few sips of your collins glass. That’s the tallest one right here. Nice. And then as you get lower, you’ll just start adding in. Your shochuand and or your gin.

Nick Johnson (00:44:01):

So, uh, okay. So this is the spirit.

Daimien Weems (00:44:03):

Yes. Your spirit’s here in this little

Nick Johnson (00:44:05):

Interesting. And so in this glass is the soda water

Daimien Weems (00:44:08):

And soda water. And your emushu.

Nick Johnson (00:44:08):

That’s the plum. The, so you add the spirit into it as you’re going,

Daimien Weems (00:44:13):

as you’re.

New Speaker (00:44:13):

Interesting, Why?

Daimien Weems (00:44:15):

Um, well I really wanted to have a cocktail that you could have an option of what you wanted.

Nick Johnson (00:44:20):

Yeah, No, I like that idea a lot.

Daimien Weems (00:44:22):

And so then I don’t know why. That’s a good question.

Nick Johnson (00:44:24):

I, That’s okay. I wasn’t, I didn’t mean why as like a, I think an angry way. I’m just curious about, I think about it like the artistic, uh, creation here.

Daimien Weems (00:44:34):

I wanted something light, extremely light and effervescent low in ABV for the most part.

Nick Johnson (00:44:39):

Oh Gosh, sorry. Whew. I don’t know why, I’m apologizing for liking your drink [laughter], because that, I haven’t even added the spirit yet. That’s just

Daimien Weems (00:44:46):

Simple ingredients too.

Nick Johnson (00:44:48):

Um, I’m sorry, Esm-Umeshu.

Daimien Weems (00:44:51):

Umeshu, Yes.

Nick Johnson (00:44:51):

So that’s just the umeshu and soda water.

Daimien Weems (00:44:53):

Yes. That’s it.

Nick Johnson (00:44:53):

And so like what I’m drinking right now is probably what, somewhere to a beer in terms of alcohol content. Right. You know, 5%, something a bit lower.

Daimien Weems (00:45:02):

It’s low

Nick Johnson (00:45:04):

But it’s delightful. It’s, yeah. Oh wow. It’s, I am currently failing to come up with adjectives, which is literally my entire job. Um, but it is like bubbly stone fruit.

Daimien Weems (00:45:23):

Yes, exactly.

Nick Johnson (00:45:24):

And okay. Exactly [laughter].

Daimien Weems (00:45:26):

Yes

Nick Johnson (00:45:26):

Which is a thing I didn’t know that I needed more of in my life, apparently. I mean, I haven’t even added the spirit and or tasted the actual fruit. Here, just a second. I’ll smell it.

Daimien Weems (00:45:37):

So I’ve had this soaking in kasu juice and simple syrup for a while.

Nick Johnson (00:45:40):

Oh, okay. Wait, soaking in what?

Daimien Weems (00:45:41):

The kasu juice. So that’ll be that the, uh, Japanese, um, citrus. Close to lime.

Nick Johnson (00:45:47):

Would you recommend I try it now?

Daimien Weems (00:45:48):

Yeah

Nick Johnson (00:45:49):

Try being careful about my front teeth.

Daimien Weems (00:45:50):

For sure. So the way they’re eating it, Yeah, you’re good.

Nick Johnson (00:45:52):

Was that okay? [laughter] Making me nervous [laughter]. So I know this is a podcast and there’s no cameras running. So you didn’t see the almost glare that I just gave to Dave about how good that is. That was almost a little like “Are you kidding me?” was the look I just gave. That is delightful. And so we were talking briefly about food, I’m, I’m assuming the food is likewise thought of with just as much care and it is just as much attention to detail. It is. So I see, I see a few entrees on it. I mentioned a fancy burger, I shouldn’t, um, only point that out. I’m seeing also things, um, like, uh, I see some, a caesar salad. I see a, I see potato skins, um, which I’m sure are quite fantastic. As I look at all the ingredients of that, I see a trout row as a part of that, which is I don’t normally think about as like a TGIF potato skins.

Daimien Weems (00:46:52):

No, no

Nick Johnson (00:46:52):

I think these, these are a different sort of idea.

Daimien Weems (00:46:54):

They’re different.

Nick Johnson (00:46:55):

I see caviar on the menu. I see. Um, carrot dip with chips. Um, I see fresh breads. It looks like, uh, Shashimi.

Daimien Weems (00:47:02):

Yes. The,

Nick Johnson (00:47:03):

At the market rate,

Speaker 2 (00:47:04):

Our chef Ben made that. It is, uh, delicious.

Nick Johnson (00:47:06):

Okay, fantastic. Um, also some desserts and um, some other water options. So you’re saying, so you could either, so whenever you book, uh, your reservation, you could do dinner here, you could do cocktails and snack, dinner and cocktails. All, all sorts of options while having this sort of full sensory and listening experience.

Daimien Weems (00:47:27):

Exactly

Nick Johnson (00:47:28):

Okay. Fantastic. All right. Let me get back to this plum all,

Daimien Weems (00:47:32):

You know, to add your spirit.

Nick Johnson (00:47:33):

It’s so good. It is really good. I mean, I didn’t add the spirits. I’m sorry, I’m too distracted [laughter]. I will say as a host with a microphone, the plum sometimes sort of sticks on the top of your mouth.

Daimien Weems (00:47:43):

Oh yeah

Nick Johnson (00:47:45):

I don’t know if that was like a joke you planned on me.

Daimien Weems (00:47:47):

No. Yeah, we’ll say that.

Nick Johnson (00:47:49):

Okay, I’m gonna, um, I’m gonna sniff both of the spirits before I add them. Um, so the one here in the box

Daimien Weems (00:47:54):

Gonna be your shochu.

Nick Johnson (00:47:55):

Shochu, okay. I have, it’s like a little bit of a beaker, sort of feels like a science experiment. Like.

Daimien Weems (00:48:00):

Almost

Nick Johnson (00:48:00):

Like in high school. This was, I’m sorry, you literally just told me what

Daimien Weems (00:48:04):

That your barley shochu

Nick Johnson (00:48:05):

Shochu, that’s the barley shochu.

Daimien Weems (00:48:06):

Yes

Nick Johnson (00:48:06):

Okay. It’s okay if I just taste it by its self just cause I’m curious. Hmm. I’m, okay. This is, it is very good. Another one I don’t really know how to describe because I think I was expecting something to be a little more like, uh, sake, but it’s, it’s not at all.

Daimien Weems (00:48:22):

No

Nick Johnson (00:48:24):

Um, if you were to think like, can you compare it to something that people would, people like me would’ve had before?

Daimien Weems (00:48:33):

No. No. You can’t. I can’t really.

Nick Johnson (00:48:36):

Yeah, I don’t think I can either. It’s really quite fascinating.

Daimien Weems (00:48:39):

It’s its own thing

Nick Johnson (00:48:43):

Because uh, it is it relatively high and

Daimien Weems (00:48:46):

It is low

Nick Johnson (00:48:47):

Alcohol content. It’s pretty,

Daimien Weems (00:48:47):

Yeah. So this, uh,

Nick Johnson (00:48:49):

Both of these options are fairly low.

Daimien Weems (00:48:52):

The shochu, yes. The gin, no.

Nick Johnson (00:48:53):

The gin. The gin, no.

Daimien Weems (00:48:54):

But with the amount that you get, it still keeps it low ABV.

Nick Johnson (00:48:56):

I see. Yeah. Let me smell the gin now.

Daimien Weems (00:48:58):

Which is probably my favorite of the two. Yeah.

Nick Johnson (00:49:01):

Oh, that smells by the way, to be honest, that smells good just cause it’s more familiar to me. Right. I, I know gin, I mean I don’t like know all gins or, but I have had gin before.

Daimien Weems (00:49:08):

For sure

Nick Johnson (00:49:09):

I had, I have been lucky enough in life to have tasted gin and this was the gen that was, um,

Daimien Weems (00:49:15):

As uh, the kasu forward notes, you’ll notice almost little to no juniper.

Nick Johnson (00:49:21):

Oh yeah. Ooh. That’s kind of nice.

Daimien Weems (00:49:24):

Yeah

Nick Johnson (00:49:24):

Sometimes juniper, to my taste, is a little bit too much. That’s another, sometimes I say things on this show that people are like, they’re either they just turn me off or they’re rolling their eyes or they completely agree that sometimes it’s a little too heavy. Okay. I think I’m gonna, I think I’m gonna add first the, just cause because I don’t even know how to describe it. The, um, shochu. Thank you.

Daimien Weems (00:49:45):

No problem

Nick Johnson (00:49:46):

You’re doing very good for whenever I glance at the menu trying to remember what all these new ingredients are. And do you just let it sit at the top or do I shake it?

Daimien Weems (00:49:52):

You can give it a little.

Nick Johnson (00:49:53):

Okay. Twirl. Okay. Very good. So yeah, this is sort of a tall collins glass with this, it is very long, beautiful ice cube in it. Um, that now has the added spirit. You said, you said you have seating in summer outside.

Daimien Weems (00:50:11):

We will, yes. It’s very new concepts,

Nick Johnson (00:50:13):

But I can see sitting out on like a, you know, those summer nights in Indiana where we’re blessed where it’s like the light is still out at nine o’clock at night.

Daimien Weems (00:50:23):

Yeah

Nick Johnson (00:50:23):

This would be absolutely perfect for that.

Daimien Weems (00:50:25):

I agree

Nick Johnson (00:50:25):

I think to just sort of like, watch the sunset and just. Do you have music outside or?

Daimien Weems (00:50:28):

We do, we have speakers on the outside.

Nick Johnson (00:50:31):

Okay. So they can, it’s a little bit of a different experience of course cause there’s cars going by and people talking and there’s, you know, two fantastic restaurants or three fantastic restaurants on this corner.

Daimien Weems (00:50:40):

There are

Nick Johnson (00:50:41):

Right. So yeah, there’s a lot of people, but.

Daimien Weems (00:50:43):

There are, we get lucky with having precedent on the weekends so we don’t have to compete with the other guys.

Nick Johnson (00:50:48):

Oh, Okay.

Daimien Weems (00:50:48):

Yeah, it’s always nice. It is always nice. And you’ll always get a different vibe outside than you get inside, music wise.

Nick Johnson (00:50:55):

Uh, do you have to reserve the tables outside?

Daimien Weems (00:50:57):

Um, that’s, not fully flushed out. Yeah, for the most part it’s going to be a, um, overflow for waiting people to grab cocktails or just walk-ins.

Nick Johnson (00:51:06):

Well, I will tell people don’t wait to find out for the summer come cause and try this place before then. Um, but then again in the summer I could see like this cocktail as I watch a sunset or something.

Daimien Weems (00:51:18):

For sure

Nick Johnson (00:51:18):

One of those like, yeah, you know, those 9:30 sunsets that happened like in June or something, or July. Those the best part of living in this, this city that has like, that we’re on the eastern time zone even though we’re, you know, you know what I mean? We get very late sunset in summer. Okay. I have an idea for the music.

Daimien Weems (00:51:41):

All right

Nick Johnson (00:51:43):

Um, you were talking about the Japanese influence of the whole bar, which now that I know that I’m looking for it, I can see that it appears almost everywhere on the menu. I didn’t see it before because I’m apparently not very observant, but, and or I’m just kind of ignorant and didn’t know what I was looking at. Um, looking at all these amazing ingredients, um, are, uh, and so when, whenever you, um, you come in to, uh, you the listener come to try some of these cocktails, I think if you look through the menu, see that there’s some really fascinating ingredients here. But anyway, the piece I was thinking of was the composer Toru Takemitsu, who is probably the most important Japanese classical music composer. Um, and relatively recent, uh, late, late 20th century. Most of his works actually, um, blend of Japanese aesthetic with sort of the more, the western art music tradition, uh, pieces that are comfortable in many different situations and, and pieces of music that are sort of effervescent in their attitude and their tonal colors and things like that. The piece that I, that specifically came to my mind is I Hear The Water Dreaming, which I think is a beautiful name of a piece of music. And I think actually as I’m holding this cocktail with this sort of, with the effervescence with it, I, I think I hear the water dreaming. It’s kind of actually works just as a, honestly that could be the name of a cocktail.

Daimien Weems (00:53:08):

I like that. Yeah, could be actually.

Nick Johnson (00:53:09):

And so Takemitsu writes with this, it’s, it’s a, I’ve already said ton, I’ve said tonal colors many time in this, but I mean, that’s really what I’m thinking about here is these, these sound experiences that are unusual and inventive and creative and provide a completely different atmosphere than what a lot of other composers are doing. And so how about we give a little bit of a listen to, I Hear The Water Dreaming, um, by Takemitsu and see if you think that it agrees with the Opushon, pronounce that right, Opushon?

Daimien Weems (00:53:39):

Yeah. I think, yes. Okay. [laughter] For us. Yes.

Nick Johnson (00:53:43):

Very good. So let’s give it a listen.

Daimien Weems (00:53:45):

All right, Let’s do it.

Music Plays (00:53:45):

[I Hear The Water Dreaming by Toru Takemitsu]

Nick Johnson (00:57:27):

All right. We have been listening to Takemitsu’s I Hear The Water Dreaming. Did you hear the water dreaming in this one?

Daimien Weems (00:57:36):

Yes

Nick Johnson (00:57:37):

Do you think that it matches here with the Opushon?

Daimien Weems (00:57:40):

I think to a T.

Nick Johnson (00:57:41):

To a T?

Daimien Weems (00:57:42):

Yeah.

Nick Johnson (00:57:42):

Fantastic, Okay.

Daimien Weems (00:57:44):

Around like the 2: 22 mark. I feel like

Nick Johnson (00:57:47):

I can’t, so specific. I love it.

Daimien Weems (00:57:48):

The flutes, you almost, that’s like the feeling that you get once a cocktail. It’s like tasted as it’s whole, as it’s meant to be, if that makes sense.

Nick Johnson (00:57:56):

Like once you blend it, once it all comes toghether.

Daimien Weems (00:57:59):

Yes. You kind get that just aha moment.

Nick Johnson (00:58:01):

Yeah, yeah. I love the, again, it’s another very atmospheric piece. I’ve, I’ve been picking very atmospheric music, like room filling sorts of music that isn’t necessarily on a journey, but is more about an experience, right? Which I think is sort of what you guys are doing, um, with this location.

Daimien Weems (00:58:18):

For sure

Nick Johnson (00:58:18):

Um, I feel like [laughter], when I was, I was listening, I was jotting down. I wrote down tingly, which I felt the mu- that piece is very tingling.

Daimien Weems (00:58:27):

Tingly, yes.

Nick Johnson (00:58:28):

Um, which this drink is as well. Um, and I’ll just say, by the way, this has nothing to do with the music. Setting my drink down in a box of ice is a very fun thing to do.

Daimien Weems (00:58:38):

I’m wild.

Nick Johnson (00:58:39):

I enjoy that.

Daimien Weems (00:58:40):

I’m glad.

Nick Johnson (00:58:40):

That is fun. Anyway, um, I think maybe it go, the piece goes slightly better with the gin. Maybe because of that tingliness. Um, though I think it would work with either.

Daimien Weems (00:58:53):

I get that.

Nick Johnson (00:58:53):

I, I’ve tasted both, but I think, um, as a piece of music, I think maybe, um, anyway, and then there’s sort of, um, there’s a contemplativeness. To both the music and I think the drink, especially here. It’s interesting having people pour to themselves. I wonder it, it makes them maybe more aware of it, um, and more aware of their, the the entire experience, but

Daimien Weems (00:59:16):

For sure. I like the interactive experience of it as well.

Nick Johnson (00:59:18):

Yeah, exactly. Well, this has been just an absolute delight. I have been blown away by the two cocktails that I’ve been presented here. Um,

Daimien Weems (00:59:26):

Thank you.

Nick Johnson (00:59:27):

We can, we should we’ll take a picture here of all the empty glasses that are in front of me, of this entire, uh, with incense and with boxes filled with ice. Um, and in a, in a beautiful room. Um, really, you guys have done some fantastic work here. So if, if, if you were listening to this, make a reservation to come out and check, try some of these fantastic cocktails, um, as just like a cocktail fan, I will say, when you first come in and look at the menu, you’re gonna see, uh, the, the prices are not like insane by any means. The, the, if it’s okay if I say this, the first drink I had was 14, Uh, this drink was 16. But when you see the amount of care that went into the presentation of it, then you’re actually like “Oh, I think maybe they’re undercharging” [laughter] honestly. Because if you go to some bars and you expect, you know, I just want like a cheap cocktail that’s like whiskey with a soda in it, right? You’re used, you, we can get used to that here. But this is definitely like an experience sort of night where you can get one or two really nice cocktails that are crafted with creativity and with care and, um, as a musician and a scholar of music and as a amateur of cocktails like care and precision and creativity all mixed into one is honestly that’s the things I love the most. And, and you have done that very well here, Daimien.

Daimien Weems (01:00:42):

I appreciate it.

Nick Johnson (01:00:43):

Um, I, I, I am confident the food has, certainly anytime I’ve been to any of the family of restaurants, I’ve had an amazing meal. I am sure that here the bars may be even up a little.

Daimien Weems (01:00:54):

It’s very different. Yeah, it is super good.

Nick Johnson (01:00:56):

I look forward to coming back to try the food and coming back for dinner. So you have, you have impressed me. I don’t know, I don’t have like an official stamp. I wish we had like a sound bite,

Daimien Weems (01:01:07):

Initial sound, Yes

Nick Johnson (01:01:08):

Was like, you have impressed me. Anyway, um, so, uh, thank you so much to Daimien, for everybody at Bar one fourteen. Um, this has been so much fun. So if you were like me and you have been living in ignorance and have never been, there’s by the way, a five year anniversary coming up. So you’ve been here five years.

Daimien Weems (01:01:25):

Five years

Nick Johnson (01:01:26):

And I live, live not far from here and didn’t. And it just goes to show how much cool things are happening in our neighborhoods that we don’t even know about.

Daimien Weems (01:01:32):

Yes

Nick Johnson (01:01:33):

Um, and so by the way, check out the five year anniversary. Um, I’m sure you’ll have some stuff on your website or.

Daimien Weems (01:01:38):

We will, Instagram

Nick Johnson (01:01:39):

You said that this, this, this spring and April.

Daimien Weems (01:01:41):

Yes, sir

Nick Johnson (01:01:42):

Perfect

Daimien Weems (01:01:43):

Right around the corner.

Nick Johnson (01:01:43):

Um, and even before that though, make a reservation. Come in, have a couple drinks that are made with the utmost creativity and care. Listen to some fantastic music in a room that is designed specifically for that purpose. And any final words there, Daimien?

Daimien Weems (01:01:59):

Uh, check us out

Nick Johnson (01:02:00):

All right, fantastic. Well, I can’t wait. And I, I think probably people are gonna wanna come and then they’re gonna wanna see when the seasonal cocktails change and come back and see what new crazy and amazing things you have come up with.

Daimien Weems (01:02:12):

We’ll keep you guys posted.

Nick Johnson (01:02:13):

All right. Fantastic. Well thank you so much Daimien.

Daimien Weems (01:02:14):

Thank you

Unison (01:02:15):

All right, Cheers.

Nick Johnson (01:02:17):

I hope you have enjoyed this very fun episode. I know I have had a good time at bar one fourtheen. So go ahead and reserve a table. Come in for a fantastic cocktail, dining listening, sensory experience. Look it up at baronefourteen.com. Make sure to spell out the one fourteen as you were looking for it. I would like to thank my guest, the cocktail program director at Bar one fourteen, and then with all the bars and the restaurants here within the Chu Incorporated family. Daimien Weems. Thank you so much, Daimien. You have really blown me away with your cocktails. So Classical Pairings is a listener supported podcast. Please support us by texting the word PAIR, P-A-I-R to 2028581233 to help us keep bringing you the best craft food and beverage makers paired with classical music and Classical Pairings is a production of Classical Music Indy. Our producer is Ezra Baker Triano. You can find more of my Classical Pairings in Note Magazine, along with features on other great classical musical artists. And finally, I hope that you will join me for a Classical Pairings Live, an event series that we are planning that will be sponsored by the National Bank of Indianapolis. And each Classical Pairings Live is hosted by local food and beverage partner. We will sample great food and beverage paired with live music by talented local artists. You can access free digital copies of the Note Magazine and find out more about Classical Pairings Live at classicalmusicindy.org. Thank you so much for listening and cheers, and I’ll see you next time.