DAIJOUBU POP-UP IS…
…a cocktail pop up created by Sharon Yeung and Caer Maiko, two Austin based bartenders, who both grew up in Asian American households. We have worked in bars for a while and are used to the unexpected. A shift is never perfect and the phrase “it’s fine” is often used to brush off something that could be upsetting. Daijoubu is arguably the most common phrase in the Japanese language and translates most closely to “fine”. We share a pet peeve in the restaurant industry. How often asian restaurants doesn't have a bar program that explores the many flavors found in asian cooking and culture. Instead of brushing this off and saying “it’s fine” we’re trying to make it fine by bringing asian culinary techniques and flavors behind the bar.
We're trying to make dope asian inspired cocktails and support Asian American culture as much as we can! Especially in the bar industry. We’re just here to celebrate our cultural heritage and get everyone a little tipsy. And after the success of our first event we're trying to take it on tour! Now we want to visit other amazing bars and make super asian cocktails for their communities. We want to find talented people who understand asian flavors and culture, and highlight their skills!
SHARON YEUNG
Meet Sharon Yeung, co-creator of Daijoubu, born in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Her family immigrated from Canton, China and set their roots in San Francisco in the 1980s. She is first generation American and grew up heavily immersed in Chinese culture and Asian flavors. Sharon has been bartending all over the Bay Area for over 10 years but started in the craft world in the past five. Since she started at Austin’s the Roosevelt Room, she has grown immensely and was quickly promoted to lead bartender and Assistant Bar Manager. She has also been nominated for the Culturemap Tastemaker Awards for Austin bartender of the year, was regional finalist for Bombay Sapphire’s Most Imaginative Bartender of 2017 and won Espolon Cocktail Fights Tag Team National Championship with Caer last year. She and her cocktails have been featured in Time Out, Chilled Magazine and Colectif 1806. Her diet mainly consist of rice, noodles, boba tea, and spam. She makes amazing broth and even better cocktails.
CAER MAIKO
Meet Caer Maiko, co-creator of Daijoubu. Born in Santa Monica, CA, Caer has been immersed in Japanese culture her whole life. Her Japanese mother and LA’s abundance of Japanese food and culture allowed her to connect to the asian half of her roots. She started bartending in Boston 7 years ago and now works and lives in Austin, TX; running the program at The Eleanor and bartending at The Roosevelt Room. Her bartending accolades include being named one of Beverage Media’s Bartenders To Watch 2019 and Austin’s 2019 Bartender of The Year at CultureMap’s Tastemaker Awards. She is a 2 time national championship for Espolon Cocktail Fights, National finalist for Speed Rack and Chivas Masters and more. She and her cocktails have been featured on Liquor.com, PUNCH, Chilled Magazine, The Local Palate, The Bourbon Review and Martha Stewart Weddings. She has loved Sailor Moon and ramen noodles since before she can remember and cannot wait to get back to Japan.