Food & Drink Nov 21, 2020
Take hot chocolate to the next level
by Steven Kurut
Warm up your winter with these boozy hot chocolate recipes, perfect for both outdoor dining or a cozy night in.
Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Oct 17, 2020
Tokyo’s newest drinks trend? Upscale alcohol-free cocktails.
by Melinda Joe
The low- and zero-proof alcohol trend has hit Japan, and for those who want to abstain without sacrificing flavor, there’s no shortage of options.
Food & Drink Jul 25, 2020
Four Japanese home cocktail recipes starring The SG Shochu
by Melinda Joe
These four cocktail recipes featuring The SG Shochu lineup include one by Yusuke Sakabe of bar Lurra in Kyoto, and three designed by Shingo Gokan.
Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Jul 11, 2020
Welcome aboard SG Airways, Shingo Gokan’s cocktail-pairing pop-up
by Melinda Joe
Since early June, The SG Club has hosted a food-and-cocktail-pairing experience that takes guests on a “virtual world tour.”
National | Regional voices: Chubu Nov 19, 2018
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 ...
Food & Drink | TOKYO FOOD FILE May 19, 2018
Bees Bar by Narisawa: Restaurant’s side project is a more casual affair
by Robbie Swinnerton
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. ...
Food & Drink Mar 24, 2018
Good libations: Examining the evolution of Japan's rich cocktail culture
by Matt Alt
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 ...
People | WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN? Jan 20, 2018
A successful cocktail of travel and tenacity
by J.J. O'Donoghue
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 ...
Food & Drink | TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE Nov 18, 2014
Step into another era at Cafe Streamline
by Angela Erika Kubo
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, ...
People | 20 QUESTIONS Nov 8, 2014
Rogerio Igarashi Vaz: 'There is no bartender without tender'
Famed cocktail concoctionist discusses Michael Jackson, Spectreman and the Monkey Gland.
Food & Drink | TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE Sep 30, 2014
Unleash your inner fetishist at Tokyo's Shag
by Angela Erika Kubo
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 ...
Food & Drink | TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE Sep 16, 2014
Younger drinkers lured by bourbon cocktails
by Angela Erika Kubo
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 ...