Text by Bridget Mullen

Images by John Hook

So Joey, what exactly is a mixologist?

A fancy term for a very experienced bartender. The person who creates the signature or specialized cocktails for the bar. Or maybe another word for a kick-ass DJ?

How do you develop a new drink?

There are no new drinks! Yikes, bold statement! But, there are variations and techniques that take existing drinks to the next level. I always start off with the base of a drink, like a Bloody Mary, and then I slot in and out different flavor profiles to create a tasty base. So instead of Tabasco for heat, I’d use Sriracha, and in the case of horseradish, I’d use wasabi. Then to fortify the drink, I could switch to TY KU soju, Bombay Sapphire or even a great tequila instead of the usual vodka. It’s not a new drink. It’s just a twist that delivers a completely different flavor profile, mouth-feel and finish.

How do you name your cocktail creations?

I’m really bad at naming drinks, so I usually stick to the components. Like if I don’t want to say, “mojito,” it would be an “herbaceous citrus and rum sparkler.”

Describe the art of pairing cocktails with food.

The pairing comes in the flexibility of manipulating flavor profiles, acidity and balance to work with the protein or sauce. Sometimes the cocktails are great on their own, but their brilliance comes out when they are drank with the food they are paired with. It’s like how a good table wine is OK on its own, but eat some cheese and fruit with it, and it moves to a whole new level.

Why does something like Munch work well at a place like Apartment3?

Apartment3 continues to be pioneering and innovative for the nightclub and restaurant scene in Honolulu. The venue itself is intimate and cozy, fun and unpretentious. Munch has created a cult following of diehard foodies and cocktail aficionados.

How do you come up with a Munch menu?

In a nutshell, the chef comes up with the menu, and then I create interesting drinks that complement or contrast the flavors in the dishes.

What has been your favorite Munch so far?

Tequila Munch was my favorite. It really crushed the paradigms that most people think tequila cocktails are all about.

And your favorite drink?

The Tennessee mai tai, a complicated cocktail that contains Jack Daniels poured over the rocks.

Since you get so creative with your cocktails, do you find simple drinks boring?

The brilliance of a simple cocktail comes from making it properly. A beautiful manhattan, the cosmopolitan, or a properly made margarita are absolutely delicious when made perfectly. That’s not boring at all.

What are some common flavors that go well together?

Jack Daniels and Cheerios, Grey Goose and everything. Oh! And of course loco moco with a large fruit punch.

What is the craziest cocktail you’ve ever made?

Squid-ink martini, clarified quail-fat cocktail and, of course, the smoked mai tai.

What’s the craziest drink you’ve ever had?

On my 21st birthday, I had a Tequila Suicide: Sniff the salt, shoot the tequila, squeeze the lime in your eye.

Get you Munch on every fourth Thursday. Call Apartment3 to reserve your spot at 808-955-9300 or visit www.apartmentthree.com.

Yoza Photo by Brent Keane

Rule one about R&B island girl Yoza: Don’t call her Crystal. Of course, I immediately make this mistake. “Crystal?” I ask when I first meet her. “Crystal Yoza?”

Her face flushes with hues of red as she explains that it’s just Yoza now. “I don’t even like my first name,” she says. “I stopped using it three years ago.”

Ironically, crystal would be a plausible description of her appearance, because, by observing her noticeable tattoos, it is crystal-clear that this chick lives for music. The giant treble clef that cuts down her chest. The homage to Billie Holiday on her right forearm. The guitar that stretches down her spine. Yoza’s melodic addiction is painted all over her body, and she is quick to admit it, “Every tattoo I have on me is music, “she says. “It’s the thing I’m most passionate about.”

Yoza’s passion for the lyrical world began at age five, when she taught herself how to play her brother’s ukulele. Within a few years, she was a member of famed ukulele artist Roy Sakuma’s Super Keiki, a group of children uke players. At 12, Yoza conquered the saxophone (which later helped her achieve a full scholarship to Hawaii Pacific University). At 18, she took on the guitar, and by 23, she was playing with Ho’okahileo, a traditional Hawaiian group. But soon after, her desire to change tunes began to grow. “I love traditional Hawaiian music,” she explains. “I respect it. But that’s not what I want to do. And it’s not in my heart. Acoustic R&B and soul. That’s just what moves me.”

At first, Yoza wondered if her new sound would be accepted on the island. “With the tourism industry, everyone wants hear traditional Hawaiian music,” she says. “And I was sold on the idea that you have to play traditional Hawaiian music to pay the bills.”

So she did what most performers would do — she compromised. “I would just stick a little R&B in [the Hawaiian music.],” she explains. “And people started thinking it was cool.”

Today, Yoza is a full-force acoustic soul artist who is most commonly found on stage at Waikiki venues such as Jimmy Buffets at the Beachcomber and The Shack. Her rich, sultry vocals layered over her smooth, acoustic guitar strums serve listeners a goose-bump worthy batch of straight-up soul, and her sexy rasp recalls the sounds of Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu.

Yoza mixes up her sets with original pieces and R&B-twisted covers (ranging anywhere from Outkast to John Mayer) and her love of music radiates off of her whenever she’s on stage. “Music’s the best catharsis ever,” she says. “It can immediately put you in any emotional state. It can make you incredibly sad, or it can make you so super happy. It is something that does something to you that nothing else can.”

Soon, Yoza plans on bringing her love into the recording studio to make a full album of original songs. But what she will be doing after that, she is unsure.

“There is some sort of plan that God has,” she explains. “I just don’t know what it is yet. Until then, I’m just going to do the best I can.”

One thing is for sure — Yoza is going to be a musician until the day she dies. Because, according to her, she doesn’t have a choice. “[Music]’s all I can do. Seriously.” she says with a raspy laugh. “I’m a crappy waitress. I’m clumsy. I can’t do anything. Just music. I’m very limited.”

As long as she keeps on doing what she’s doing, music might be enough.