Tokyo-2-17-9Am.Pdf

16 siptripping: JAPAN Tokyo’s Art of the Cocktail Throughout its history, Japan has produced art, technical innovations and cuisine noted for precision, artistry and attention to small details. Tokyo’s urban cocktail scene follows suit. 17 nighttime walk through Tokyo’s their drinks, down to the dense ice neighborhoods can be as over- spheres and cubes keeping everything A whelming as it is breathtaking. chilled until the last sip. And because No matter what neighborhood you visit, scanning menus can be as perplexing as be it high rent Ginza and Marunouchi, the process of finding that bar, you may high energy Harajuku, Roppongi and accidentally stumble onto something Shibuya, or relaxed-yet-trendy Ebisu, that will make you forget what you Daikanyama and Kuramae, the maze-like originally intended to order. narrow streets and complex address numbering system means you’ll need SEEKING WHISKY discipline and patience to find the city’s AND MORE most inventive and inviting bars—even Whisky bars are a time-honored insti- with your trusty Google Maps app. The tution in Tokyo and Japan’s larger cit- same often holds true for luxury hotel ies, and you can’t go wrong with izakayas lounges and restaurants hidden atop tall (pubs) such as Hounen Manpuku Iza- (but unassuming) office buildings. kaya, at once posh and informal, featur- Once you are inside, however, your ing a reliable mix of simple, drinkable patience will be rewarded when you cocktails with Suntory whisky and soda observe the bartenders put that same or fruit juice. In Shinjuku you’ll find one focus and determination into crafting of Tokyo’s oldest bar districts, Golden Gai. 18 Though this area is touristy, it’s worth a visit for a taste of a still-thriv- ing scene made up of tiny bars no big- ger than your closet, drawing patrons in through the distinctive themes and dé- cor of individual bars. The craft cocktail bar scene that the locals embrace, meanwhile, is roughly a decade old. These relaxed spots are in contrast to the masculine, clubby and pricey whisky bars, informal pubs and demure saké tasting spots that all have made an impression in the West through movies, television, and even your parents’ old vacation photos. To get a complete picture of Japanese bar culture, of course, start with tips from fresh herbs from my farm, and we distill astute driver are required—especially as locals on their favorite spots in those absinthe in our two-liter pot stills with word has gotten out that international genres and leave any expectations you anise, fennel, wormwood and more.” culinary superstars such as Spain’s José may have at the door. Andrés made the trek to Yamamoto’s Bar Benfiddich, for example, turns A-MAZE-ING stage. A session with the master runs the concept of the staid and stately DISCOVERIES between $45 (four cocktails) and $65 Japanese whisky bar on its head while Many cocktail bars with a strong local (six cocktails). adhering to traditions that make the buzz and the most interesting person- The soft-spoken Yamamoto, attired format so beloved among different alities are still well-guarded secrets. in a dapper white jacket and tie, lets generations of imbibers. “The Japanese This is exemplified by Gen Yamamoto’s his technique do the talking. The show bar is small, and has a culture similar to eight-seat atelier in residential Aza- is not about “flair” bartending (i.e. the Japanese tea house,” explains owner bu-Juban, hidden between Ebisu and juggling shakers and twirling). His Hiroyasu Kayama. “While we continue Shibuya. Here, a night out for cocktails movements are small, precise and to protect the past, we adapt ideas blends theater and visual art. Advance deliberate. The appearance and flavor for the future. We make cocktails with reservations and a taxi ride with an profiles of his ever-changing lineup of 19 drinks are unforgettable and also hard to duplicate, even if you keep a close eye on every step of his process. The mid-autumn hued works of art served are magnificent still-life works built on a palette lacquered wood, Murano glass- ware and a fresh chrysanthemum—a gooseberry and junmai ginjo (top grade) saké cocktail; a Nagano-raised Granny Smith apple creation with barley shochu and matcha tea garnish; and a Hokkaido grand champion pear blended with sweet shochu and sweet potato essence. Yamamoto is not the only one who knows how to make a big impression in a small space. Rogerio Igarashi Vaz, who has Brazilian and Japanese ancestry to draw from, transforms classic “West- ern” cocktails into new and refreshing surprises at Bar Tram and Bar Trench. These little bars, conceived by business partner Takuya Itoh, are themselves a cocktail of European, North American and Asian cultural influences, from playful menus to eclectic décor. Though Itoh’s Shibuya establish- ments draw a healthy mix of young 20 Tokyo professionals, expats and visitors, finish, as (doing the whole job) is part bartender Shingo Kasori insists we try he’s bent on taking Tokyo’s cocktail of the mental and spiritual training of some of their off-the-menu infusions landscape as far as it can go. being an artisan.” including wasabi-tinged gin, uma- “Our bars mix Japanese bartending I found out about Mixology Tokyo mi-infused cognac, and a surprisingly with Western ways of bartending,” Itoh through Lloyd Nakano, a hospitality delicious blue cheese cognac infusion explains, describing his concepts as a industry veteran (and sidecar and wonderful on its own or as a cocktail culmination of his training in New York martini aficionado) also interested foundation. City under a Japanese master bartender, in learning why it is on Tokyo’s craft “I think Japanese cocktails should the “traditional Japanese-ginza ways” cocktail radar. Even with a trusty Google reflect such Japanese aesthetics and he learned bartending on his home Maps app tuned on, we stroll through ideas such as importance of negative turf, and observations of bars in cities Yaesu (a swath of low-rise restaurants space or hidden elements that make beyond these places. This is, of course, and small businesses neighboring glitzy customers imagine what may or may not passed on to Igarashi Vaz and his fellow Marunouchi area) and circle the block be in the glass,” says Shuzo Nagumo, bartenders. several times before spying a small, the owner who like Itoh, is in full-on “Our team takes Western ideas of elegant sign that points us up a flight of expansion mode. “We also make each craftsmanship and creativity back to stairs. recipe with the idea of “ichi-go ichi-e,” their roots, and then mixes them with a I’m impressed with how Mixology celebrating a moment that might hap- Japanese way of thinking that involves Tokyo pulls off the finesse of the pen just once in a lifetime, such as the the precision that’s part of our cultural formal whisky bar without pretention transition of a certain season or meeting DNA,” Itoh continues. “Bartenders and or attitude. We are handed a prolific a fascinating person for the first or last owners are considered artisans. While menu packed with familiar Western bar time. These are cocktails that result Western hotel bars have staff members staples, old-school Japanese drinks and in telling a story, and that story may who clean the bar and prep ingredients, a handful of original barrel-aged cock- resonate with the person drinking the we do everything ourselves from start to tails. Before we make our selections, cocktail.” 21 Before we have finished beautifully crafted cocktails, our companions insist TOKYO BREWERIES we hit the Old Imperial Bar within the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Imperial Just as whisky fans from the U.S. want to learn more about how their spirits Palace Hotel, commissioned by the aris- are crafted, so do their counterparts in Japan. Therefore saké brewery tours tocracy to attract well-traveled Western in Tokyo, Kyoto and Kobe are gaining steam powerful enough to prep the rice visitors. The site of Tokyo’s first modern for a premium junmai daiginjo saké. In the same spirit of the Bourbon Trail cocktail scene (in the 1920s) still thrives running through Kentucky, Japan’s saké trail is blazing hot at the moment. today, and in many respects bridges The 120 year-old Ishikawa Brewery, in Fusso City at the furthest edge of the intimate settings of independently Tokyo Prefecture, now has its 17th generation owner at the helm. This alone owned bars with the international gran- would downright impress the Kentucky Bourbon dynasties. A trip to this beau- st deur of 21 Century hotel bars in Tokyo tiful compound combines a thorough rundown of the sake and beer brewery’s as well as Kyoto and other major cities. inner workings, historic homesteads, company store, and an excellent soba restaurant whose food is crafted from the spring water used for their bever- HOTEL BARS: ages. In the summer, there are even live performances. A HIGHER POWER Lobby bars in such posh digs as the Conrad, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula and Shangri-La outposts are as bright and French Champagne into their getting high scores in international com- and expansive as the indie bars are whimsical “Poptails,” and has a saké petitions, we are seeing more cocktails intimate. However, the bartenders are as sommelier on staff to expand guests’ on Tokyo menus with a Western twist, eager to blur the lines between East and saké vocabulary and comfort zones. Pre- such as using a (rotary) evaporator West, and reinvent old recipes based sentation is king at the bar of the Peter to infuse a spirit or create smoke,” on the changing tastes of customers B restaurant at the Peninsula Tokyo.

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