A MEMORY IN A BOTTLE

I was born in 1970 on a sweltering late summer afternoon in Miyazaki, a small town on the southernmost island of Kyushu, Japan.  Miyazaki is a tropical coastal village with beautiful cliffs, soaring oceans and historic shrines.  My mother, grandmothers and their grandmothers were born there too.

When my mother brought me home, there was a feast and celebration.

My American father was participating in these festivities for the first time, and my grandmother made him an "American-style" cocktail in the martini glasses he had brought as a gift.

She made the drink with shochu (a colorless and odorless rice liquor), infused with a myriad of fruits, spices and botanicals.  The concoction was delicious, and we would enjoy it on three different continents for years to come, eventually calling it "The 1970" in memory of that perfect summer afternoon.

IKEDA FEINGOLD

Born in Japan, raised in New York, and photographed in London, Milan and Paris, Ikeda studied painting with Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason before opening her own studio.  Her life as a hostess, stylist and consummate maker led her to create "First You Steal an Egg," a catering and event planning company.  Impressed by the need for an original cocktail to mark occasions, she bottled a family tradition and brought The 1970 to life.