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Masaki Hisaike

@ma5ak1ng

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Imagine arriving in a new country—full of hope, but uncertain if you truly belong. For many migrants, including myself, finding acceptance is a long and often invisible journey. It took me over a decade to achieve permanent residency, but this drink celebrates something beyond a visa or status—the moment you finally feel accepted, find where you belong, and can call a place home.

My entry for the Suntory Cup 2026 “Celebration” challenge

THIRD PLACE
Haku Vodka | Coffee Oil-Washed Crème de Cacao | Coconut | Junmai Daiginjo | Wattleseed & Hojicha Foam

Inspired by Australia’s iconic celebratory drink, the Espresso Martini, this serve brings together Japan, where I was born, and Australia, where I found a home—celebrating migration, acceptance, and belonging.

At its core is Haku Vodka—born from the House of Suntory’s Monozukuri craftsmanship. Rooted in Japanese culture yet having found acceptance beyond Japan, Haku’s journey across borders feels deeply personal to me.

Unlike the classic dark Espresso Martini, this serve is crystal clear, reflecting Haku’s connection to Junpaku (純白): purity, brilliance, and clarity. Coffee oil-washed crème de cacao captures the roasted familiarity of Australia’s coffee culture while preserving the drink’s bright expression.

Haku can be seen as a distilled expression of sake philosophy, making a small addition of Junmai Daiginjo feel natural while bringing delicate aromatics and lift. Coconut water adds freshness and highlights Haku’s smooth rice character, subtly reflecting the many cultures that shape modern Australia.

Finished with Wattleseed and Hojicha foam, the drink brings together Australian identity and my Japanese roots, creating an unexpected Espresso Martini experience.

In hospitality, we often talk about the third place—not home, not work, but somewhere people feel they belong.

For me, Omotenashi is care expressed through thoughtful details, and hospitality shaped by diverse cultures creates spaces where people feel accepted. This cocktail celebrates migration and belonging because, in the end, everyone deserves a place to call their third place.

@clubsuntoryoceania
@clubsuntoryoceania_vic.tas taken in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia by @ma5ak1ng

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2 months ago

Imagine stepping into a 1950s post-war jazz kissa in Japan—dimly lit, filled with vinyl crackle, coffee, and cigarette smoke. At first, it feels distant. But soon, you’re wrapped in quiet omotenashi. By your third Manhattan, strangers feel like old friends. A few mandarins sit on the worn bar—modest, thoughtful, freely offered.

My entry for Reinvigorate the Retro, Omotenashi Challenge by @clubsuntoryoceania

COFFEE AND CIGARETTE

Suntory Toki | Switched Mandarin Vermouth | Whole Mandarin Oleo Saccharum | Yōmeishū | Salted Fennel Water | Clarified

Retro Jazz Kissa Tincture, atomised over the top

Garnish
Koji-preserved cherry | Rectified mini mandarin jam sando

This serve draws from the Shōwa era, reimagining the Manhattan with Suntory Toki while honoring omotenashi and the quiet symbolism of mandarins in post-war Japan.

After WWII, even simple gestures—like offering a mandarin in a café—reflected deep care. At the same time, jazz kissas emerged, filled with Western jazz, cinema, and imported spirits. The Manhattan, once foreign, was reinterpreted with Japanese whisky. By the 1960s, Suntory had become Japan’s everyday whisky, bridging Western cocktail culture and local craftsmanship.

Clarified mandarin juice replaces vermouth’s water, adding layered citrus complexity, while whole mandarin oleo-saccharum balances with gentle sweetness. Yomeishu lends quiet wellness and bitter warmth. A fennel-salt infusion adds subtle salinity and faint anise depth.

A Retro Jazz Kissa Tincture—sandalwood, lapsang, and coffee—is atomized over the drink, evoking smoky nostalgia. A koji-preserved cherry deepens Toki’s malt notes. Served near the end, a mini mandarin jam sando offers a savory twist on the nostalgic fruit sando, embodying omotenashi through unexpected contrast.

As hospitality evolves, we’re drawn to innovation—but at the heart of a cocktail is care, not complexity. Like a retro jazz kissa—coffee, vinyl, cigarettes, a quiet smile—it’s the small gestures that stay with us. In the end, it’s the details—like mandarins on the counter—that remind us what real hospitality feels like.

📸 @chelcath

@clubsuntoryoceania_vic.tas
@barselecta.au by @ma5ak1ng

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a year ago

WE HAVE CALLED IN THE BO$$ES. 🍸

Selecta is turning one with some of our favourites taking over the bar with some very special cocktails - one duo at a time.

6–7:30PM
Julien of @babines.au + Sai of @dutchrulesdistillingco

8–9:30PM
Jess Clayfield of @blackkitecommune + Trinity Bird of @caretakers.cottage

10–11:30PM
Jeffery Liu of @lostbar_au + Perry Chiu of @dispatchdist

Original birthday drinks. Hibachi by @kuramelbourne . Vinyl all night.

EAT, DRINK, PARTY LIKE A BO$$.
SUN 26 JUL · 5PM–1AM
RSVP VIA LINK IN BIO by @ma5ak1ng

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4 days ago

This Sunday 26th July big birthday party at @barselecta.au
@kuramelbourne firing up Hibachi & @ken_ibuki slinging amazing sushi sashimi 🍣🍱
Guest bartending sessions:
6-7:30pm Julian @babines.au x @sai_merchant @dutchrulesdistillingco
8-9:30pm @ladyofbotanicals @blackkitecommune x @trinity.bird @caretakers.cottage
10-11:30pm @pezzabanana0209 @dispatchdist x @_liuthjeffrey @lostbar_au
🍸🍸🍸🍸✨✨🎉🎉✨✨

Door opens from 5pm.
Come party and celebrate with us 🙏 by @ma5ak1ng

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5 days ago

ONE YEAR. ONE BO$$ PARTY & YOU’RE INVITED. 🎂🪩

Bar Selecta is turning one, and we’re going all in.

EAT, DRINK, PARTY LIKE A BO$$ — with hibachi by @kuramelbourne , a stacked line-up of bar takeovers, vinyl all night and birthday drinks flowing till late.

To our regulars, our day ones and anyone stepping through the laneway for the first time — this one’s for all you bo$$es.

SUN 26 JUL
5PM onwards
$22pp with a highball cocktail OR
Free entry (rsvp essential)

Big thank you to our superstar friends who will be celebrating with us & putting on the best party in Hawthorn 🔥

🍸Guest shifts:
@julienco_ & @pezzabanana0209
@ladyofbotanicals & @trinity.bird
@kaichungchan & Jeffery Liu

💿 On the decks:
@abelnwillinn
@dallas_herrett
@gracielasann
Special guest @billiejeanius

717 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn
Link in bio. by @ma5ak1ng

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14 days ago

BO$$ (BAR) SELECTA TURNS 1 IN JULY

We’re throwing a month long celebration with rare guests, one-night-only moments, special tastings, takeovers, vinyl parties and late-night celebrations.

EAT, DRINK & PARTY LIKE A BO$$.
Starts July ’26. by @ma5ak1ng

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a month ago

This Sunday we are flying up to SA @honeydripper.hifi
For a fun intro tasting at 2pm with our @barselecta.au selection of sake, tell you little bit of who we are, what we do and get connected with SA hospal legends.
Along with @sai_merchant from @dutchrulesdistillingco with his amazing range of gin tasting!
And little Bar take over at night 10pm showcasing @dispatchdist awesome product in our Bar Selecta cocktails.
Just good vibe and tasty cocktails, amazing tunes by @honeydripper.hifi
Come hang out and celebrate good times!!
There’s lots events happening same night, hopefully you guys can swing by for a little along all those fantastic events.

See you there 🍸🍹🍶🫶 taken in Adelaide South Austrslia by @ma5ak1ng

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a month ago

Every year around this time, I always find myself saying “I can’t believe it’s already the end of the year” For years I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. This year feels a bit different.

In July, @barselecta.au, a small Tokyo style listening bar we’d been planning for years, finally opened. It still feels unreal. I can’t thank enough all the lovely staff and everyone who visited us🫶

More than two and a half year ago, @whiskyg33k first pitched this project at a meeting that somehow went till 5am while I was basically half asleep 😇
@joey___tai ,who’s spent endless hours with me and still isn’t sick of me… probably 😆
@adamong1976 never fail to give me a life lectures when the bar is on fire on Saturday nights 🤗
And @mike_sundays yells “Come on Masa!” with so much passion that I literally hear it in my dreams 🤣

This project became fun, meaningful, and possible only because of you 🙏

I haven’t shared this with many people but, back in 2020 when Covid hit, everything collapsed, including the PR plan I’d been working on for a decade. It was the hardest decision in my life but, I bought a flight back to Japan to leave Australia for good.

But when I tried to end my lease, the landlord said I had to keep paying rent until the contract finished, something I couldn’t afford. I was completely stuck.
In the end, that one problem kept me here. I stayed, kept fighting, and kept working on my PR even it seemed impossible.

If that issue hadn’t happened, I’d be a salaryman somewhere in rural Japan right now.

Life is strange.

Sometimes the things that feel like obstacles end up becoming the reasons you stay, grow, and build something better than you ever imagined.

Life is strange because one tiny twist of timing can completely change your path and somehow lead you exactly where you’re meant to be.

Life will probably get even stranger. Harder challenges will come, but am I ready?
Yes. Born ready.

Thanks to everyone who supported us this year.

If you ever get bored, thirsty, and want good music, come to Selecta and bully us. I’ll probably be there pretending to work.

Happy holidays everyone 🫶🎄🥂
Let’s finish the year strong 💪 by @ma5ak1ng

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7 months ago

Suntory time at @barselecta.au 14th December Sunday
With the two legends winners of Suntory Cup 2025 @boozelypalmer & @pinoterie take over the bar !!
@prince_fumitamura on the DJ deck!!
Proudly sponsored by @clubsuntoryoceania

Go onto @eventbrite copy this link 👇 for tickets !
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/selecta-sessions-suntory-time-featuring-the-2025-suntory-cup-winners-tickets-1975699199490?aff=ebdssbdestsearch by @ma5ak1ng

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8 months ago

Recent work for @barselecta.au
Stay tuned for their new cocktail drops by @ma5ak1ng

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8 months ago

Masa and Joey... causing chaos? Always.⁠
⁠
#BarSelecta by @ma5ak1ng

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a year ago

It’s about that time…
Fire & Smoke.. Tokyo-style 🔥🔥🔥

“UP IN SMOKE” fires up @Bar Selecta Hawthorn.

One night only — Yakitori off the grill, Signature cocktails poured and premium sake flowing to Hip Hop beats presented by Bar Selecta. Kenny Chiu, the “Hibachi Papi” brings Japanese BBQ love from Matsuyama (Prahran) to Bar Selecta for this one nite only special popup..

Sunday Sept 21 from 5-9pm.
FREE ENTRY, limited spots — Get yours now on the bio link at Eventbrite.
Aged 18+ and over.

See u there..Kampai! by @ma5ak1ng

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a year ago