Jordan Abraham pairs whiskey and wagyu at Gozu in San Francisco

Gozu is a modern American restaurant in San Francisco with the unique approach of including some type of premium Japanese wagyu beef in every single dish. That could include the meat itself, the fat that is made into a form of garum — the ancient Roman version of fish sauce — and everything in between. Most customers order the restaurant’s tasting menu and one of four pairings: Wine, sake, whiskey, or tea. The person in charge of those pairings, and all other alcohol served at the restaurant and its adjoining whiskey room, is beverage director Jordan Abraham. Abraham, who was beverage director of Atelier Crenn, also in San Francisco, between 2018 and 2020, joined Gozu in March of 2021, when it reopened. Gozu actually closed before the pandemic started due to a fire on New Year’s Eve of 2019, and when it reopened Jordan set to work with his pairings, the most popular of which is whiskey. Abraham recently discussed his approach to selecting the whiskeys for each course, as well as the complexities of properly brewing a great cup of tea.