The Konomi Festival in Basel combines the Japanese way of life with that of Switzerland. From March 27 to 30, Basel is all about Japanese taste. Konomi means taste in Japanese. This will run like a sensory journey through cocktail bars, restaurants and Japanese establishments.
"Konomi in this case means not only taste, but also enjoyment, knowledge and aesthetics. We are very pleased to be able to convey these three highlights in a high-quality manner with the help of lecturers, sommelières and bartenders, some of whom are internationally renowned," explains Robert Schröter, festival co-organizer. Together with Rebekka Salzmann, manager of the Basel cocktail bar Angels's Share, the founder of the Berlin Cocktail Academy realized the idea for Konomi.
"Japan's cuisine and way of life are incredibly diverse and rich. Especially for us restaurateurs, there is still a lot to discover and learn there. Many of us konomi contributors have roots in Japan, lived there for a long time or visited this unique country. Our wish is to represent this high culture of restaurants and bars as well as Japanese aesthetics more strongly in Basel," says Schröter, who himself has lived and worked in Japan, among other places.
Varied program
On Monday evenings, Nico Čolić from Zurich's Kronenhalle Bar seduces with delicate Japanese concoctions at the Angels' Share bar. The Stadtbrennerei Basel invites to a fermentation workshop with the Berlin-based manufactory mimi ferments. In Japanese Living the workshop "Tea and Sweets" with Yoko Tateishi and Yukiko Nützi takes place.
Kai Wolschke of Berlin's Goldfish Bar will serve umami cocktails, and Wednesday night book author Nicole Klauss hosts an "Alcohol-Free Jam Session" on the Japanese art of alcohol-free cocktails at Blaupause Bar. There will also be sake tastings, sake pairings, shochu tastings and masterclasses on Japanese bartending.
For more insights and tickets to the Festival of Japanese Taste, visit konomi.ch.
