Raising the Bar Award :

AS A SECOND-GENERATION JAPANESE-AMERICAN who spent her summers visiting her family outside of Tokyo , Kira Webster has been bringing the flavors of Japan to the bars and restaurants of St . Louis . From infusing gin with chamomile and miso to washing creme de cacao with sesame , Webster finds new ways to include Asian ingredients in the city ’ s cocktails .

She placed second in the first-ever 2022 National Shochu Competition in the U . S . at Bar Goto Niban in Brooklyn , NY . Her winning “ Fit for a Himiko ” cocktail in the Shochu competition was inspired by an ancient Japanese Queen who was one of the country ’ s supreme rulers during her reign and is still a feminist icon today .

The “ Quiet Night Thought ” sparkling sake cocktail , made with house-made , lemon-almond-pink peppercorn oleo syrup and trakal — the first original Patagonian spirit distilled with native herbs and fruits — was inspired by the works of prolific Chinese poet Li Bao .

Webster began her restaurant career as a server after she moved to St . Louis to study psychology at Webster University . Upon graduation , she decided to use her psychology degree to better understand the hospitality industry , starting out as a bartender .

“ I fell in love with bartending [ in college ] and got really into craft cocktail bartending when I was 22 ,” she says .

Webster began to explore Asian ingredients while beverage director at Bao , a Chinese small-plates concept . Then as the beverage director at Indo and Nippon Tei , Webster kept pushing the boundaries of non-traditional flavors and seeking

inspiration from her Japanese heritage in her cocktail recipes .

Webster also implemented an impressive sake program at both concepts and hosted a collaboration dinner with internationally renowned sake samurai Monica Samuels in fall 2022 . Currently behind the bar at 801 Fish , an upscale seafood restaurant , she continues to explore identity through the lens of her cocktails . – MD •

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