Urushido from Japan Wins N. American Bartender Award

New York, July 4 (Jiji Press)--Masahiro Urushido, a bartender from Japan, has received Altos Bartenders' Bartender Award in North America related to the first-ever North America's 50 Best Bars list published by William Reed Ltd. Urushido, a 39-year-old co-owner of Katana Kitten in New York, was selected by 50 head bartenders on the North American list. The British firm said the award is "arguably" the greatest honor in the cocktail craft. "I'm never complacent with my job. I hope this award will become good pressure for me," Urushido told Jiji Press. Urushido, born in the town of Minowa in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, started his bartending career at the age of 19 in Tokyo and realized that his true calling was hospitality. For learning English and other purposes, Urushido traveled to the United States at the age of 26 and studied at a community college. After graduation, he restarted his bartending career while staying in the country. He has since co-written a book on Japanese cocktails in English. "What's appealing about this job is that I can see how customers react right away," said Urushido, who is now pursuing his dream of running eateries in the United States, while wishing to contribute in the future to his hometown where he developed his aesthetic. END