Ultimate Tokyo Drinks List
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Ultimate Tokyo Drinks List
Tokyo has thousands of bars with great music and atmosphere, romantic views and interesting people. Here are a few that have also distinguished themselves with their impressive drinks selections.

Legend:
x A good, comfortable place to get started.
o An encyclopedic menu, with the best selection in town.
# More a restaurant than a bar, but with a good drinks list.

Scotch whisky

o Helmsdale (Nishi-Azabu). 300 single-malt whiskies (up to Y10,000 a shot), till 8am; they even serve haggis! 03-3486-4220. Minami-Aoyama 7-13-12.
o HazelBurn (Kabukicho). An impressive line-up of Scotch whiskies and Scottish-style food. 03-5285-1470. Kabukicho 1-6-6, Hashimoto Bldg. B1F.
o Speyside Way (Jiyugaoka). Over 800 kinds of whiskey at this specialty bar. 03-3723-7807. Jiyugaoka 1-26-9, Mikasa Bldg. 5F.
x George's Bar (Kichijoji). A traditional cocktail bar with good martinis as well as a respectable Scotch selection. 0422-22-8002. Kichijoji Honcho 2-19-7.

Tequila

x El Paso (Omotesando). Filling Tex-Mex food and a big tequila selection. 03-3479-1995. Kita-Aoyama 3-5-17.
o Agave (Roppongi). Hundreds of tequilas, served in a cave-like basement bar. 03-3497-0229. Roppongi 7-15-10, Clover Bldg. B1F.

Grappa

x# Esperia (Nishi-Azabu). There are usually a few dozen after-dinner grappas available, and more if the staff has just come back from Italy. Great food, with lots of interesting cheese dishes. 03-5485-1771. Nishi-Azabu 4-11-25.

Aquavit

x# Stockholm (Akasaka). 8 different aquavits and a good Swedish smorgasbord. 03-3509-1677. Nagatacho 2-14-3, Akasaka Tokyu Plaza 1F.

Schnapps

x Kandagasse (Akihabara). 9 types of German schnapps, plus good beer and food. Accordion alert: live music Thu-Sat nights. 03-3254-1339. Soto-Kanda 2-4-4 B1F.

Sake

x Akaoni (Sangenjaya). Around 100 different sakes at any given time, plus good food. 03-3410-9918. Sangenjaya 2-15-3.
x Sasagin (Yoyogi-Uehara). An impressive selection of sake and traditional izakaya-style food. 03-5454-3715. Uehara 1-32-15.

Awamori

o Nabi to Kamado (Shinjuku). 300 awamori varieties and decent food. 03-5379-1070. My City 7F.
o Awamori (Ginza). 150 different types of awamori. 03-3543-9256. Ginza 7-17-18.
x Aka (Akasaka). Okinawan fusion cooking and 22 awamoris at this late-night bar/restaurant. 03-5157-0909. Nagatacho 2-14-3, Akasaka Tokyu Plaza.

Shochu

x Tamoiyanse (Shibuya). 50 kinds of shochu from Miyazaki/Kagoshima, including types made from sweet potatoes, barley, corn, rice and sugar cane, plus excellent southern Kyushu cooking. 03-3461-4333. Shinsen 10-10.
o En-ichi (Nishi-Azabu). Over 700 kinds of shochu (how is that even possible?) and Kyushu snacks to go with them. 03-3499-0233. Nishi-Azabu 4-10-3.

Australian wines

x Mr. Zoogunzoo (Omotesando). Excellent French/Italian cooking and a very extensive, very reasonably priced wine list. 03-3400-1496. Shibuya 2-9-11, Aoyama City Bldg. B1F.
o Arossa (Shibuya). They boast a solid regular list and an impressive reserve list for special occasions. Several are available by the glass at any given time, with good Italian/Australian food. 03-3469-0125. Shoto 1-26-22.

California wines

x# Ricos Kitchen (Ebisu). Not the biggest list in town, but the 40 California wines here are well chosen, and the food is superb. 03-5791-4649. Ebisu 4-23-7, 2F.
o New York Bar (Nishi-Shinjuku). The biggest California wine cellar in Asia, with snacks from the kitchen of the adjacent New York Grill; prices match the 52nd-floor view. 03-5323-3458. Nishi-Shinjuku 3-7-1-2, Park Hyatt Tokyo 52F.

French wines

oAux Amis des Vins (Ginza). The wine list here is the size of a small phone book, and they're open late. 03-3567-4120. Ginza 2-5-6.
x Bandol (Gaienmae). 70 wines, mostly imported by the owner, plus southern French cooking. 03-5785-3722. Minami-Aoyama 2-12-16, Ishizuka Shoji Building 2F.
x AOC Yoyogi. Organic French food and dozens of organic wines. 03-5308-7588. Yoyogi 1-43-2.

Italian wines

x# Caminetto (Gaienmae). Over 100 types from Tuscany and Piedmont (priced Y3000-20,000), and excellent food. 03-3479-7553. Kita-Aoyama 2-7-18.

Other wines

o Sherry Club (Ginza). An astonishing variety of sherries, with Spanish tapas to go with them. 03-3572-2527. Ginza 6-3-17, Yugen Bldg. 2/3F.
x# Manuel (Shibuya). A Portuguese restaurant with a reasonable selection of after-dinner Port, plus several Portuguese wines. 03-5738-0125. Shoto 1-25-6.
x# Cave de Katsunuma (Shinjuku). Western-style food and a large selection of Japanese wines, for the curious. 03-3225-4101. Shinjuku 3-11-10, B1F.

Belgian beers

x Brussels (Nishi-Azabu). The most spacious branch of the Brussels mini-chain, with the best food menu as well. 03-5413-5333. Nishi-Azabu 3-21-14
o Frigo (Nishi-Shinjuku). 100 Belgian and German beers, all available for inspection in the self-serve refrigerator. 03-5371-0666. Yoyogi 2-11-20, B1F
o Bois Cereste (Akasaka). An old-school Tokyo bar with live piano music and around 100 Belgian beers, many exclusive imports, plus Belgian food. 03-3588-6292. Akasaka 2-13-21.

German beers

x Bernd's Bar (Roppongi). Several German beers on tap, good food and a lively atmosphere. 03-5563-9232. Roppongi 5-18-1, 2F.
x German Farm Grill (Shibuya). A casual bar/eatery with a few unusual German beer brands. 03-5457-2871. Shinsen 8-1.

Japanese microbrews

o Popeye (Ryogoku). The largest selection of Japanese microbrews in the world. The 40 beers on tap also include US and European craft beers. 03-3633-2120. Ryogoku 2-18-7.


Glossary

Shochu - distilled spirits usually made from sweet potatoes, traditionally popular in Kyushu.
Awamori - distilled liquor from Okinawa.
Aquavit - flavored liquor distilled from grain and served ice-cold, popular in Scandinavia.
Grappa - brandy distilled from grapes, popular in Italy.

by Robb Satterwhite