Many people may not be familiar with the word, but "cello" is a drink that is enjoyed at home in Italy, and is similar to plum wine in Japan. The standard way to drink it is to have a little in a small glass as an after-meal drink, and famous varieties include limoncello, made from lemon peel, and finocchiettocello, made from the leaves of the herb finocchietto. The "geek cello" we created this time is a geek-like drink that combines top-class ingredients grown in Japan with the skills of professional sake brewers. We are looking to expand our lineup in the future, but we plan to focus on two common themes for "geek cello": connecting directly with farmers to use high-quality ingredients, and creating the ideal product from the manufacturing process itself without being bound by common sense.

This project started with an encounter with an ingredient. Finocchietto is a wild species of fennel, and is as common in Italy and other parts of Europe as mugwort in Japan. When I was originally looking for botanicals to go with gin and liqueurs, I was given three types of herbs by Ecofarm Asano, a famous farm in Chiba Prefecture that grows vegetables for restaurants, and they all had a wonderful aroma. Finocchietto was particularly good, so I wondered what kind of drink would best bring out its goodness, and ended up with cello. While it is a well-known ingredient in Italy, it is very little known in Japan. I found this gap interesting, and wanted to use this excellent finocchietto to create a liqueur that would rival authentic cello. At SHINDO LAB, we want people in Japan and around the world to feel that we are doing something interesting, so we hope that this product will help people overseas get to know SHINDO LAB.

At "geek cello," we are challenging ourselves to pursue "deliciousness" without being bound by existing manufacturing methods, but I think the concept of "deliciousness" itself is very vague. Even if you eat the same thing, the way you feel it changes completely depending on the place, environment, physical condition, and mood, so it is difficult to define. My idea of ​​"deliciousness" is to feel happy when you put it in your mouth. It is to concentrate all your attention on your taste and smell and forget about other thoughts. I think it all comes down to that. There is absolutely no such thing as something that is delicious for 100 people, no matter when they eat it, and there is no goal in taste. If you are satisfied, you cannot move forward, so I think it is important to keep challenging yourself. There are more options to take if you go left and right, groping your way through the unknown, rather than on a path that you can already see. Of course, there will be failures, but I think that you will find deliciousness that you can be satisfied with after enjoying it to the fullest. I have always had a strong interest in food since I was a child, and I would buy and cook any interesting ingredients I found, and I feel that this inquisitiveness is still alive in me today. That's why, with this Cello, we're trying out a new method of production that has never been done before, starting from scratch. We want to continue to value the attitude of constantly searching for new methods while keeping in mind the history and theory of alcohol brewing.

Umeshu is often drunk as an aperitif or digestif at Japanese restaurants, but although it may seem similar, it is completely different and has a strong impact. First you feel a strong sweetness, and then the aroma of finocchiette comes over you. It's a very distinctive drink that I haven't had much of before. The cello made from leaves allows you to directly enjoy the aroma of finocchiette, while the one made from flowers is a little more vibrant, and I thought the difference in flavor was more pronounced than I'd imagined. Cello is almost never served at Japanese restaurants, and finocchiette itself is not a familiar ingredient to begin with, so it was a fresh experience for me.

Of course, it's great to enjoy as an aperitif or after-dinner drink, but it's also good mixed with soda to drink with a meal. It seems to be popular with relatively young people, so squeezing in a little citrus fruit to make it like a sour drink might make it easier to drink. I also thought it would be interesting to try pouring this cello as a syrup over ice cream. It's very sweet and has a rich herbal aroma, so using it as a seasoning could be a good way to arrange it.

This time, I received a request in advance and came up with a dish. It's simply called "Spear Squid for Cello." I placed slices of kabosu and sudachi on top, topped with freshly boiled spear squid, and finished it off with a broth made from dried tomatoes. I wanted Cello to be the main dish, so I used protein-rich swordfish as the main ingredient.

The broth is made by boiling dried tomatoes and grilled squid tentacles, with a little white wine added. Because the Cello has a strong sweetness, I thought it would be better to add a sour taste to the dish, so I used tomato broth and kabosu and sudachi citrus to create a refreshing taste. It was my first attempt to pair this type of alcohol with Japanese food, so it was quite difficult, haha. This Cello has a very distinctive aroma and sweetness, and I felt that it would determine the overall direction of the course. It had such a punchy flavor that I had to think hard to balance it well with the food.

We aim to be the best izakaya in Japan, but Fukuoka is a particularly competitive area, so we need to be a restaurant that continues to be chosen by customers. The philosophy of our restaurant is "love and thanks," and we aim to convey our love and thanks to our customers, and to spread that circle to all involved parties, including producers. Fukuoka is blessed with a variety of ingredients and a wonderful environment for chefs, but we also want to value the emotional aspect of our customers as much as we pursue delicious food. That's why we think it's important to put as much thought into the alcohol we serve as possible. That's why, with regard to Cello, when I heard about the development of the drink in advance and tried it, I really felt the geek-like commitment of Mr. Yanagi, who was in charge of development. When we come across a drink like this, it makes us chefs think, "How can we make the most of this?" and I feel that it gives us even more motivation to create the best food possible to meet the customer's demands.