Members of the Nippon Bartenders Association's branch in Mie Prefecture have created original cocktails that make use of typhoon-damaged Jiro persimmons — a local specialty of the town of Taki that is now in harvest — that cannot be shipped for sale. Until now, persimmons ...
Bees Bar by Narisawa: Restaurant’s side project is a more casual affair
After 15 years, chef Yoshihiro Narisawa's eponymous high-end restaurant in Aoyama needs no introduction or further plaudits, and nor does his innovative, superlative cuisine. But there was always one area that needed addressing: the lack of a bar inside his compact premises. Consider that handled. ...
Good libations: Examining the evolution of Japan's rich cocktail culture
The art of the cocktail is indisputably non-Japanese. The word itself is old American slang for a pick-me-up, referring in modern parlance to any mixed drink containing liquor and at least one other ingredient. Even if you aren't a drinker, chances are you can ...
A successful cocktail of travel and tenacity
Shingo Gokan might well be the most traveled barman in the world. By his own count, last year he took more than 80 flights, landing in Atlanta, New York, Havana, London, Milan, Berlin, Manila, Bangkok, Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong. That's only a partial ...
Step into another era at Cafe Streamline
Leaving the tranquil streets of Tokyo's Daikanyama district and entering Cafe Streamline is like going back in time. The bar contrasts the modern architecture outside with antiques and old kitchen appliances cluttering the interior and soft jazz music playing on a radio. Then again, ...
Rogerio Igarashi Vaz: 'There is no bartender without tender'
Famed cocktail concoctionist discusses Michael Jackson, Spectreman and the Monkey Gland.
Unleash your inner fetishist at Tokyo's Shag
While the naming of newly opened Shag in Omotesando might cause sniggers among anyone familiar with British innuendo, the name — inspired by Sex, a boutique run by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren in the 1970s — is fitting for a place that touts ...
Younger drinkers lured by bourbon cocktails
Up until recently, whisky was seen as a drink for ojisan (old men), enjoyed on the rocks or mizuwari style (heavily diluted with water). With the opening of the limited-edition Jim Beam Bar in Roppongi Hills, however, alcoholic-beverage giant Suntory Holdings proffers that whisky ...
Green fairy leads to Tokyo absinthe bar
Five years ago, Hiroyasu Kayama developed a fascination with absinthe. Shortly before opening his bar Ben Fiddich in July 2013, he took a pilgrimage to the famous absinthe-producing town of Pontarlier, which lies on the French border with Switzerland. Now, the 30-year-old mixologist wants ...
Enjoy a heady cocktail of alcohol and fear
A frozen cocktail may quench your thirst and a serving of unagi (eel) will give you the energy you need to fight summer fatigue, but only a scary ghost story will bring a shiver down your spine and leave you cold for ...
