Tag: tokyo

  • Bars in Japan: Miscellany

     On my five-day visit to Japan with Suntory whiskies I hit 21 bars by my count. I am talking about them in groups. Next up: The Rest of Them.

    The difference between the various styles of bars is subtle and I'm defining them as I see them. I'll be describing whisky bars, cocktail bars, highball and standing bars, and pubs/clubs/dives. This is that last section.

    Rippongi Nouen is actually a restaurant but it's notable because they serve highballs with flavors like ginger and rosemary.

    The restaurant has big glass cubes in the back that have (or used to have, can't tell) herbs and vegetables growing in them. 

    Roppongi nouen rosemary highball_tn

    The tasting menu had some great food. I think they picked this place not just for the drinks but for its vegetarian tasting menu.

    Roppongi nouen personal grill_tn
    (Everyone gets their personal smoking grill in one dish.)

    One Shot Bar The Door (I'm not sure if it's called The Door or One Shot Bar) is located in Kyoto. I didn't see much of the bar downstairs as we were in a private room upstairs with our shoes off on with tatami mats having a great conversation. It has a short cocktail menu, mostly of classics. I ordered a Martini. 

    One shot bar kyoto japan_tn

    One shot bar kyoto japan martini_tn

    Three Martini Bar in Yokohama is full of good. The walls are lined with vintage whisky decanters and ice buckets and they were playing a soundtrack of yacht rock. Good vibes all around.

    Three martini bar yokohama_tn

    Three martini bar yokohama2_tn

    Three martini bar yokohama menu_tn
    (Mmm, tequira.)

    Our hosts gave us a few reasons why it's called Three Martini, but I only remember one of them. "Three" in German is spelled "dreit" as in "dry." In exchange, I told them that in America it might refer to the three-martini lunch or Dorothy Parker's "two at the most" rhyme.

    Anyway, we ordered Moscow Mules and the three Martinis.

    Three martini bar yokohama moscow mule mugs_tn

    Three martinis at three martini bar yokohama_tn

    For bar snacks they had several options including fried sugar(!*!*!*!).

    Three martini bar yokohama fried sugar_tn

    Eagle Bar in Shinjuku area of Tokyo looks like a speakeasy gentleman's club with patterned wallpaper, wooden walls, and carpeting. To enter you walk down a flight of stairs to find a room with the main bar. Walk down another flight of stairs (two storeys below the street) and there is another small bar room where we sat. 

    Eagle bar upstairs shinjuko tokyo2_tn

    We sat at the bar. It has low barstools so your feet are touching the floor. While a couple to our right were working their way through the cocktail list, we stuck to highballs. 

    Eagle bar shinjuko tokyo2_tn

    Bigri Bar is located in Golden Gai, the neighborhood of tiny bars I mentioned previously. 

    Street Golden Gai Tokyo Japan_tn

    You enter in a set of incredibly steep stairs into a room that looks like a kitchen in a studio apartment.

    Steep stairs Bigri Bar Golden Gai Tokyo Japan_tn

    I think this is what is called a "mama-san bar" as the owner is an older lady who serves drinks and also cooks you (not exactly good-looking) food from behind the same bar counter. 

    Coaster Bigri Bar Golden Gai Tokyo Japan_tn
    (Hand-knit cocktail coasters. Adorable.)

    Cooking Bigri Bar Golden Gai Tokyo Japan_tn

    Track Bar is an uber-hipster bar that wasn't filled with hipsters at the time we visited. They have a wall of 33" records and a DJ spinning them. There were mason jars full of help-yourself snacks. But it still operated like a cocktail bar – you ask when you walk in the door if there is enough seating before entering. 

    Bar track  ebisu tokyo3_tn

    Bar snacks bar track  ebisu tokyo_tn

    It seems like a whisky bar but I saw cocktails being made as well. I ordered a highball, and their house style at this bar is to serve it in a frosted glass without ice. 

    Highball without ice bar track  ebisu tokyo_tn

  • Bars in Japan: Cocktail Bars

    On my five-day visit to Japan with Suntory whiskies I hit 21 bars by my count. I am talking about them in groups. Next up: Cocktail Bars.

    The difference between the various styles of bars is subtle and I'm defining them as I see them. I'll be describing whisky bars, cocktail bars, highball and standing bars, and pubs/clubs/dives. Many cocktail bars look pretty much like whisky bars, since so many bars carry a massive amount of scotch. 

    Bar High Five is run by Japan's most famous bartender, Hidetsugu Ueno (Ueno-san). It was voted one of the world's 50 best bars. It's a tiny little place located in a building full of bars.

    Bar high five tokyo sign2_tn

    It only seats about a dozen people at the bar, plus there is an additional booth that can hold about eight more people. The mood inside was great – people complain about the formality of Japanese bartenders but I've found that when you're sitting at the bar it's fine to chat and laugh and have a good time with them. 

    Unfortunately we were only here for one drink as we were a large group at that point and didn't feel like we should hog the whole place. Someday I will be back for longer! 

    Bar high five tokyo camper and uena san_tn
    (At least Ueno-san looks good in this picture.)

    Tender Bar is owned by Japan's other most famous bartender, Kazuo Uyeda (Uyeda-san). This bar is classy and weighty and feels expensive; the Pegu Club to High Five's PDT. 

    Tender bar tokyo sign_tn

    Though I was tempted to order Uyeda's famous Gimlet, I opted for a Jack Rose that came out dry, as opposed to my bar-mate's surprisingly delicious bitters-free Manhattan. 

    Tender bar tokyo drink2_tn

    Uyeda-san's wife was our host for the evening and her English was quite good. I had met them both in New York for a 2-day seminar on Japanese bartending. 

    Bar Orange, near Shibuya in Tokyo, is a nearly-hidden downstairs cocktail bar. It's dedicated to the movie Clockwork Orange though you'd not call it a theme bar. It's very sleek and dark and I'd imagine attracts a stylish young crowd. The cocktails are served in gorgeous vintage-looking glasses. 

    Bar orange tokyo_tn

    Bar orange tokyo cocktail_tn

    Ishi no hana was the most progressive bar we visited in Japan. It's run by bartender Shinobu Ishigaki, who won the Bacardi Grand Prix competition a few years ago with this drink:

     
    Ishinohana bar roppongi tokyo cocktail2_tn
    (That is some serious garnish.)

    I had an Apple Vinegar Martini, while my bar companion had a Yellow Chartreuse Mojito. Other ingredients on the menu include rhubarb confit, jasmine, saffron syrup, and earl grey tea. 

    Ishinohana bar roppongi tokyo garnish_tn

     The bartender Shinobu Ishigaki even has his face on a can of a green tea beverage called calpis sour.

    Beverage by bartender shinobu ishigaki_tn

    While the Ginza bars of Tender Bar, High Five, and Star Bar get all the glory, visitors to Tokyo should definitely put this one on their list.