This is a personal list, but there are classic Japanese drinks I could have concentrated on more. For those I\u2019ll happily refer you to my erstwhile colleague Richard Legg\u2019s beginners guides to sake<\/a>, sh\u014dch\u016b<\/a>, and awamori<\/a>. He\u2019s an Awamori Jinbner (a sort of international ambassador for this lesser known Japanese spirit), and just possibly a bigger Japanophile than I am. Don’t overlook umeshu either.<\/p>\n A trip down Omoide Yokocho, literally ‘Memory Lane’ (although it is also known as Piss Alley…)<\/p><\/div>\n Fancy and \u2013 let\u2019s face it \u2013 expensive cocktail bars can be incredible, and I recommend them below. But no nonsense, affordable drinking holes are the setting of many a great evening. We checked out varied izakaya (which delightfully translates as \u2018stay-drink-place\u2019) bars and the aforementioned random apartment block bars too (best only done with a reliable recommendation or very good and up to date guide book!), but one of the best experiences was exploring Golden Gai in Shinjuku, Tokyo.<\/p>\n Think hundreds of teeny-tiny, largely wooden, shanty-style bars squeezed into six narrow alleys that, unlike the surrounding city, haven’t been redeveloped since the war. Once the red light district, the unique bar culture that now dominates this compact district developed from the late 1950s onwards. Each bar is about 10 square metres of super informal, zero protension, potentially enthusiastically themed drinking for about half a dozen people at a time. Some are members or locals only, but plenty are more than happy to welcome us \u2018gaijin\u2019 (a sometimes pejorative term for foreigners). Try out a few, chat to some strangers, take in the vibe.<\/p>\n (Left to right) Whisky and snacks in Sendai, exploring Tokyo’s Golden Gai, and a ubiquitous Kirin Highball<\/p><\/div>\n Depending on the bar you may want to grab a cool beer with an affordable whisky on the side, a whisky Highball (sometimes on tap), or a sake<\/a>. Some bars specialise in sake, for example, overpoured \u2018mokkiri\u2019 style. Simple cocktails and mixed drinks may also be available. Sh\u014dch\u016b<\/a> and oolong tea is well worth a try (as is whisky and green tea).<\/p>\n Nikka Whisky From The Barrel<\/a><\/p>\n Yes, I know, some<\/em> of this may<\/em> be distilled at Ben Nevis<\/a>, but it’s a beloved classic for good reason. Big, bang for buck, adaptable goodness. (And as somebody in the industry said to us recently, if they do reformulate it to all be distilled in Japan, “they’d better not fuck it up!”)<\/p>\n Fuji Gotemba Single Grain Whisky<\/a><\/p>\n An unusual and again adaptable single grain whisky from a distillery owned by brewing giants Kirin made with malted barley, corn and rye. It combines spirit from a Canadian-style kettle distiller, a bourbon-style doubler, and<\/em> a Scotch-style column still.<\/p>\n Akashi-Tai Junmai Daiginjo Genshu Sake<\/a><\/p>\n Junmai means that this sake hasn’t been fortified with additional neutral alcohol, while Dai-ginjo denotes the highest level of polishing\/milling of the rice. Enjoy slightly chilled like a white wine.<\/p>\n I visited the two oldest Japanese whisky distilleries, Suntory\u2019s Yamazaki<\/a> and Nikka\u2019s Yoichi<\/a>. As a big old whisky nerd, I was always going to travel to see both (I very nearly took in Hakushu and Miyagikyo too), but if I want to cover different parts of the country here then I should probably focus on the latter.<\/p>\n Yoichi is found way<\/em> up north on the island of Hokkaido. This part of Japan’s known for many things including Sapporo city, skiing, national parks, the indigenous Ainu people, and being where my partner Melissa proposed to me on top of an active volcano. Crucially, the climate is cooler and less humid. Dairy farming and other familiar agriculture is prevalent (if you\u2019re a Legend of Zelda fan, think Lon Lon Ranch and milk). In fact, a lot of it seems quite\u2026 \u2018British\u2019? Masataka Taketsuru certainly thought so, and picked a spot on the coast surrounded by mountains as the perfect Scotland-like place to found Nikka\u2019s first distillery.<\/p>\n As is typical of Japanese distilleries, there are stills of various shapes (many house styles come from each distillery). At Yoichi however, these stills are direct-fired using coal, which is a sight to behold as skilled workers shovel it in like steam engine locomotive boilermen from a totally different age. Shinto \u2018shide\u2019 paper streamers on ropes also adorn the neck of each still, reverence usually reserved for holy spaces and shrines.<\/p>\n Of particular interest here (and at Yamazaki) is that the tour includes a tasting, and there\u2019s also a whisky tasting bar. This is a fantastic chance to try whiskies that are hard to find even in Japan (let alone abroad!) and the prices can also be quite reasonable\u2026<\/p>\n You honestly don’t want to know how little tasting the above and more cost<\/p><\/div>\n Of course Japanese whisky is quite expensive these days<\/a> outside of Japan, with aged malts very hard to come by. Nonetheless, here are some suggestions that are still very much worth your time.<\/p>\n Yoichi Single Malt<\/a><\/p>\n The distillery’s flagship NAS release aims to show off the body, refined peat smoke with hints of salinity, and complex fruitiness the distillery is capable of producing.<\/p>\n Hakushu 12 Year Old Single Malt<\/a><\/p>\n Suntory’s second single malt distillery is situated within forests at the base of the Japanese Southern Alps and manages to embody the ‘green’ notes of its surroundings.<\/p>\n Japanese Blended Whisky 21 Year Old (Master of Malt)<\/a><\/p>\n After some well-aged Japanese whisky without breaking the bank? We’ve got you covered.<\/p>\n When you think about cocktail bars and bartenders in Japan, perhaps you picture somebody like Takayuki Suzuki carving a perfect ice ball in a blur of movement at a Suntory event or the Park Hotel in Tokyo, where the Society Bar (an official SMWS partner) is now managed by Koji Nammoku. Or, staying in Tokyo \u2013 which is full of whisky and cocktail bars including ones that regularly bother The World\u2019s 50 Best Bars awards \u2013 in the equally home-from-home sounding Bar Benfiddich you\u2019ll find Hiroyasu Kayama at work (or if there\u2019s no space try Sunface just upstairs).<\/p>\n Perhaps you\u2019ve also seen the more extravagant stylings of Yuzo Komai of Bar Centifolia<\/a> wielding a small Japanese sword and setting fire to his bar on YouTube or Tik-Tok? All quite different, but all with a very Japanese sense of ceremony, preparation, and exacting movement in presentation. Parallels with the solemn ritual of the Japanese tea ceremony are perhaps too easily drawn, but technique, harmony and meaning run throughout both. Many places don\u2019t even have a menu \u2013 they just work out what you need from your preferences, mood, the season (Japan has 72 micro seasons) and their skill.<\/p>\n My pick? Let\u2019s go beyond Tokyo shall we? Travel west on the main island of Honshu and you reach the Kansai region and the cities of Kyoto, Osaka and Nara. Kyoto is a stunning city, home to Buddhist temples (we were lucky enough to stay in one), the countless vermilion torii gates of the Fushimi Inari shrine (Inari being the Shinto spirit of foxes, tea and sake among other things), The Kyoto Distillery<\/a>, and a speakeasy called Bee\u2019s Knees.<\/p>\n Just another fun week at Bee’s Knees (including a night we were there!)<\/p><\/div>\n Bee\u2019s Knees has now been named in Asia’s 50 Best Bars four years running, finishing as high as 18th in 2021 after being the highest new entry the year before. The 50 Best team note that the 1990s hip-hop tunes playing in the background are \u201csomewhat incongruous\u201d to the otherwise Prohibition-era theme. I don\u2019t know about you, but that doesn\u2019t sound like a problem to me!<\/p>\n Now in its seventh year, and with international recognition, I’m afraid my favourite Japanese cocktail bar is no longer a hidden gem. While I was able to approach the mandatory speakeasy \u2018secret\u2019 door \u2013 in this case a bright yellow one set just back from the street that reads \u201cThe Book Store\u201d \u2013 and head straight on in, you\u2019ll now likely be wanting to get there before opening time to queue.** Get a seat and you\u2019re in good hands though, with bartenders Toru Ariyoshi and Keisuke Yamamoto whipping up 1920s classics adjusted with appropriately Japanese ingredients such as sparkling sake, sakura liqueur, hinoki cypress and their own bitters. It\u2019s also a lot of fun! Great drinks in a convivial environment, and Toru (who also happens to be a flair bartender who\u2019s competed all over the world) is a legend with an infectious smile.<\/p>\n At Bee\u2019s Knees you\u2019ll find twists on classics you may be able take some inspiration from. Think things like Negronis made with h\u014djicha green tea and coffee bitters (something I\u2019m willing to suspend my usual #dontfuckwithnegronis for), the \u2018Not Godfather\u2019 made with smoked rye whiskey and amaro, Basil Gin Smashes that introduce either shiso leaf and passion fruit or mirin syrup, or of course the Bee\u2019s Knees cocktail itself adapted with yuzu tea.<\/p>\n The easiest thing for those playing along at home, however, may just be to use the local gin from Kyoto distillery in your favourite gin serves.<\/p>\n KI NO BI Gin<\/a><\/p>\n It’s made with a rice spirit base and the botanicals include yellow yuzu, akamatsu Japanese red pine wood chips, bamboo, gyokuro tea, and green sansh\u014d berries! A veritable tour of Kyoto Prefecture in a bottle. The recipe below is taken from ‘Classic KI NO BI Cocktails’ book by Dave Broom. Not all of the recipes included are easy to replicate at home either, but this one’s from a Kyoto bartender and ticks some classic Japanese flavours:<\/p>\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n 30ml KI NO BI Gin<\/a> Method:<\/strong><\/p>\n Hard shake ingredients together with ice and strain into a coupe glass. (You can also try a ‘dry shake’ without ice first, then shake again after adding ice, to ensure a silky, frothy foam on top.) Garnish with a small pinch of matcha powder.<\/p>\n All that\u2019s left is the inevitable sign off\u2026<\/p>\n Kanpai!<\/p>\n * We\u2019ve had (cheap) prints of his Flowering Plum Tree and Almond Blossom in our living room for years. I was lucky enough to spend four glorious weeks exploring Japan \u2013 my dream travel destination \u2013 a while back. It\u2019s a place that\u2019s long fascinated Europeans, dating back to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,893,749,896],"tags":[1958,905,1815],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Jake](\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Memory-Lane.jpg\")
Drink in a tiny bar<\/h2>\n
![\"Nikka](\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Tiny-Bars.jpg\")
What to drink<\/h3>\n
Visit a Japanese whisky distillery<\/h2>\n
![\"Old](\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rare-Nikka-and-Suntory-whiskies.jpg\")
Try these<\/h3>\n
Check out a fancy cocktail bar<\/h2>\n
It’s the Bee’s Knees<\/h4>\n
![\"Several](\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Bees-Knees.jpg\")
What to drink<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Kyoto-Gardens.jpg\")
<\/p>\nKyoto Gardens by Christophe Rossi, L’Escamoteur<\/h4>\n
\n30ml fresh lemon juice
\n15ml simple syrup
\n20ml sake based yuzu liqueur (such as Akashi-Tai Ginjo Yuzushu<\/a>)
\n1 tea scoop of matcha (a little less than half a teaspoon)
\n1 egg white (or use aquafarba or Ms. Better’s Miraculous Foamer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n** Even then (depending on the time of year) you may have to sign yourself on to their waiting list app and wait for a message!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"