Japanese cocktail list
« previous post | next post »
Tim Leonard sent in this most intriguing Japanese cocktail list, spotted by Regular Sandwiches:
Mōtsuarutomiruku モーツァルトミ ルク ("Mozart Milk")
Inkurediburu haruku インクレデイブルハルク ("Incredible Hulk")
Ronguairandoaisutī ロングアイランドアイスティー ("Long Island Iced Tea")
suītotaitopusshī スイートタイト プッシー ("Sweet Tight Pussy")
reddosunappā レッドスナッパー ("Red Snapper")
Sukūbīsunakku スクービースナック ("Scooby Snack")
Washinton'appuru ワシントンアップル ("Washington Apple")
Guess what? Not one of these is a mistranslation, and not one of these drinks was something crazy dreamed up by Japanese. They are all standard Western drinks, the names of which have been directly transcribed in katakana:
- Mozart Milk (this is probably just a short form of "Mozart Milkshake")
- Incredible Hulk
- Long Island Iced Tea
- Sweet Tight Pussy
- Red Snapper
- Scooby Snack
- Washington Apple
There's nothing even vaguely odd about this list except that the poster assumed it was weird because it was in Japan.
It's fascinating how the oddities of our own culture and language are so invisible to so many.
[Thanks to Nathan Hopson]
Eric TF Bat said,
April 19, 2015 @ 10:15 pm
Sadly, being based in Japan rather than on the Discworld, they don't appear to sell my personal favourite cocktail, the Slow Comfortable Double-Entendre with Lemonade.
Christel Davies said,
April 19, 2015 @ 10:42 pm
Sounds like a full service bar to me.
Dwayne Bartles said,
April 19, 2015 @ 11:19 pm
I for one would like to know what the Japanese translations of "Sweet Tight Pussy" and "Scooby Snack" are.
Vasha said,
April 20, 2015 @ 12:04 am
For anyone who struggles with pronouncing these names because their English isn't up to it, the Katakana will actually be helpful — it won't help with the jaw-breaking task of enunciating (let alone remembering) the foreign vowels and consonant clusters, but at least it tells the pronunciation of words that aren't easily predictable from a general knowledge of English spelling, such as "tight" or, much worse, "Mozart" and "island".
Adam F said,
April 20, 2015 @ 3:44 am
Dang, no Pan-galactic Gargle Blasters either.
Chris Kern said,
April 20, 2015 @ 7:32 pm
Dwayne: Unfortunately it's not very interesting; all of them are just straight transcriptions of the English names (modified to fit Japanese phonology), so they're not really "translations".
Tim Leonard said,
April 20, 2015 @ 8:57 pm
"There's nothing even vaguely odd about this list"
Well, there’s plenty odd about the list, but you’re right, it’s due to our own culture and language. Cocktail names in English are intentionally (memorably) bizarre.
Xenobio said,
April 21, 2015 @ 7:20 am
Long Island Iced Tea is the worst thing for novice drinkers because you think it sounds like, you know, tea with maybe a splash of liquor and it turns out to be pretty much just liquor.
kltpzyxm said,
April 22, 2015 @ 8:33 pm
"There's nothing even vaguely odd about this list except that the poster assumed it was weird because it was in Japan."
mazeltov, y'all.
oulenz said,
April 23, 2015 @ 9:50 am
On the contrary, I would say that this *is* an odd list, because Long Island Ice Tea excepted, this is not your typical list of seven cocktails on the menu.