Noon Inthasuwan of Umami (photo: Susanna Bolle)
One look at the drink list at Brookline’s new Umami restaurant, you know you’re in for something out of the ordinary. The restaurant specializes in Asian fusion cuisine and the cocktail list more than keeps pace with the menu. Take the Brookline, one of Umami’s signature cocktails. It’s their unique take on the classic Manhattan cocktail, which is made using shiitake bitters. With its savory, mushroomy overtones, it is easily the most unusual drink I’ve had in months, but it’s balanced and really works — it also paired really well with the fish sauce in the fantastic, if blazingly hot, bar food.
The woman behind the bar at Unami is Noon Inthasuwam. And while Noon’s signature drinks all have a similarly distinctive spin, they’re usually less fungal and more floral than the Brookline. In addition to her shiitake bitters, she makes a delicate hibiscus bitters, a tart umé syrup (umé is a red, Japanese plum), as well as making use of a variety of herbs, flowers and spices in her drinks. The goal is to add these Asian elements (hibiscus, tamarind, shiitake, etc.) to cocktail classics to create something new, so that the drinks end up having, as she puts it, “a little umami-ness to them.”
Noon Inthasawam adds Spice Tree to the Robin Robinson (Photo: Susanna Bolle)
Noon had her first taste of bartending in Thailand, where she worked in all different aspects of the restaurant and hotel business, including mixing drinks. But she really got serious about tending bar when she came to Boston a little over seven years ago. Since then, she’s honed her skills working in a variety of different restaurants around town, including running the bar at the Om restaurant in Cambridge. She still oversees the cocktail program there (“I’ll sleep when I die,” she laughs), but her home, she says, is Umami.
Noon Inthasuwam (Photo: S. Bolle)
Mixing a mean (and interesting) drink is only one part of tending bar well. It’s also about being a good host, and Noon’s enthusiasm for both sides of the equation is evident from the moment you sit down at the bar. “I love doing what I’m doing in terms of my work behind the bar,” she says, “but then there is the reaction of the person drinking. It’s instant gratification. You make a cocktail and when the person likes what you’ve made, they have that instant smile on their faces. I love that whole process.”
When I asked her for a current favorite cocktail recipe, Noon generously offered two: The Angelo and the Robin Robinson. Both drinks contain Prosecco, but that’s where the similarity ends. The first, the Angelo, is a refreshing all-Italian mix of Campari, Orgeat (an almond liquor), Vermouth, grapefruit juice, and Prosecco. It’s a bright, citrusy, late summer drink. By contrast, the Robin Robinson is Scotch-based and is much more earthy and autumnal. Floating a little Spice Tree malt whiskey on the top, which Noon did when she mixed the drink for me, adds a bit of peaty funkiness to the whole thing. It’s a really compelling drink.
The Angelo
The Angelo
1 oz Finca Antica Vermouth
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Orgeat
1 1/2 oz fresh Grapefruit Juice
1 oz Prosecco
Shake the first four ingredients and strain into a chilled Champagne glass.
Top with Prosecco and a twist.
The Robin Robinson
The Robin Robinson
2 oz Compass Box Asyla Scotch Whiskey
1 oz Yuzu Honey Nectar
1/2 oz lemon Juice
1 oz Prosecco
Shake first 3 ingredients and strain into a Champagne glass.
Top with Prosecco and a twist.
For an extra touch of peatiness and smokiness, add a float of Compass Box Spice Tree Malt Whiskey.
I’m so happy for Noon! She’s a great friend of mine and shes extremely talented!
She deserves this article, she is very talented and one of the best bartender in Boston
This article is spot on. Aside from being incredibly nice and welcoming, Noon makes the best cocktails in Boston. Words don’t do them (or Noon) justice.
Her smile is as wonderful as her talent for mixing up a wonderful experience.
I’m her biggest fan :) She is a genius.
No matter what your mood is…, her sophisticated touch to a variety of delightful concoctions will change your climate first sip!
Noon truly has a gift. She is hands-down Boston’s best bartender. Every cocktail is a delight!
noon is one of the most knowledgeable people i have ever met when it comes to taste! she is very intelligent and i am very honored to have had her as an instructor of my wine class! go see noon at umami, her smile and kindness is contageous!
How can you miss with such a stunning woman serving you a drink?
Noon is by far the most talented bartender I know (even as a bartender myself). Every drink I that I have ever had from her has been not only amazing but one of a kind, she takes her craft extremely seriously, and her spirits (pardon the pun) are always high. I ordered for the first time years ago and with much lesser expectations, intending only to enjoy my company at the bar, but she has proved to be a true mixologist and one worthy of the respected WBUR spotlight.
OMG! The mix cocktails to a class of wine
Noon knows her stuff. I have to say she is one
of Boston’s finest Bartenders.
Noon, I’m honored. Thanks for your creativity, your hospitality and support.
Robin
As a reflection of the creator, Noon’s drinks are both beautful and refreshing.
Noon is the most creative and friendly bartender and host anywhere! Last night she made me a drink with fresh parsley which was amazing! And the food at Umami is uniquely delicious.
Noon is easily the best bartender I have ever had the honor of being served by – one of the few people to whom I can say “uhh, I have no idea what I want” and be assured that whatever she plunks down in front of me fifteen seconds later, I will LOVE.
Be sure to stay for the food too – the lamb shank haunts my dreams like an edible version of Dante’s Beatrice.
Noon is one of the best mixologists, hell just one of the best people I have had the pleasure of knowing. She will create a uniquely tailored concoction that will delight your taste buds in no time flat, and make you feel better about your day at the same time, even if it’s already a great one.
Noon makes the best cocktails in Boston. She has a great sense of mixing unique flavors and tastes, and has a full yet gracious command of the bar at Umami.
Noon, is a fantastic bartender and host. My husband and enjoy her cocktails and her company. We wish her create success at Unami!
I’m so glad Noon is being recognized in a full feature article. She deserves it. She’s diligent, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable in her feild, and more so, she’s so sweet and friendly, always making sure patrons are having a great experience. Noon is the best doctor in town. Her innovative prescriptions are unforgettable. Noon really is the greatest. If you haven’t met her yet or tried Yoshi’s wonderful dishes, you must go to Unami. It’s a dining experience you will treasure.
Congrats to Noon for this splendid write up on her bar tending gifts. Noon is very special. Not only a world class mixologist but a warm, welcoming presence at Umami. She can create an original cocktail from scratch with an amazing array of ingredients that highlight whatever ingredient you ask for. She then pairs it magically with food. She is truly a standout in the Boston bar world.
Life has not been the same since meeting Noony! She is a drink “psychic” and a night started at Umami is always a great one and I must admit never dull. Best bartender, host, and friend. Visit her soon!!
Noon is a charming and talented woman. She took my home made Tarragon Brandy and made a fabulous sparkling drink but also made a most unusual dessert again using the tarragon brandy.
By the way, the food is also excellent. I had duck and it was outstanding!