For the past couple years, Saranya Hubbard has been whipping up elegant cocktails through her Japanese-inspired pop-up bar Moon Bar, bringing an international take to Kansas City’s thriving craft drinking scene. Now, the mixologist has found a permanent location to showcase her Japanese-style beverages – where she’ll be pouring more than cocktails.
Hubbard has officially planted roots in River Market’s historic Columbus Park neighborhood. As for the bar’s opening, Hubbard’s has no official date. What she does know, however, is by night, customers will be able to snag a Moon Bar cocktail, but during the day, the brick-and-mortar will operate as Tian Tea House. At Tian, which means “sky” or “day” in Chinese, customers can participate in a Chinese tea ceremony and or buy Chinese teas, matcha and hojicha.
Until the tea house/bar opens, Hubbard will continue popping up around town with Moon Bar and serving drinks the Japanese way.
Her inspiration comes from New York’s iconic Japanese bar Angel’s Share, where the Japanese style of mixology is much more popular. Detail and craftsmanship are extremely important in Japanese culture, Hubbard says, and bartending is no different.
“It’s like you’re imitating how a Japanese person would serve you a cocktail,” says Hubbard, who moved from Bangkok to KC in 2020. “People around the world know how Japanese people are very into the details, so [the cocktail] should be like that.”
From the type of ice to the method of shaking, precision is at the heart of Moon Bar.
Instead of the typical Boston two-piece shaker, Hubbard uses a three-piece cobbler shaker. Cobblers are smaller than the Boston shaker, so there’s less room for the ingredients to travel and mix, giving Hubbard more control over the flavor. You’ll never see her shaking your cocktail—just a calculated stirring motion does the trick. She also makes her own ice. It’s crystal clear, which makes it longer-lasting and harder to break.
As for ingredient prep, Hubbard doesn’t cut corners. For Moon Bar’s earthy Green and White matcha cocktail, for example, she mixes the matcha (from Japan) traditionally with a bamboo whisk. It’s then mixed with white chocolate, Thai jasmine rice syrup and Japanese whiskey and topped with a jasmine rice puff. “Easy to drink,” Hubbard says.
So, why the decision to add teas to Moon Bar’s future menu? Hubbard says she wanted to honor another passion of hers as she is Thai Chinese and partial to Chinese teas. When given the same amount of attention and detail, teas, and the ceremonies behind them, have their own impactful flavors – just like cocktails.
Keep updated with the Tian Tea House and Moon Bar development on Instagram, @moonbar.kc.
