The bar – which has views of the Tokyo Tower from its balcony and rooftop space – draws inspiration from a house party “that gets suitably rowdy”, bringing to bear Graham’s brand of “warm hospitality and delightful chaos”.
Graham has relocated from Hong Kong, where she held positions as editor of Drink Magazine Asia – a role she’ll continue part time – and at one time as a bartender at The Old Man, formerly Asia’s Best Bar.
The British expat told Drinks International: “The bar encourages guests to pull up and ’fess up, meaning come as you are and confess what’s weighing you down.”
The décor is described by the journalist-cum-bartender as a cosy but modern Japanese space punctuated by Graham’s own “vibrant art and trinkets”.
The star of the show, she says, is the “snaking wooden bar top carved from 300-year-old reclaimed temple pine”, which has “no barriers, meaning guests can pull up right next to bartenders”.
The drinks menu, created by Graham and head bartender Wakana Murata, highlights lesser-known Japanese ingredients such as doburoku and awamori.
Tokyo Confidential also puts an emphasis on low and no-abv cocktails, and as a nod to Graham and Murata’s love for champagne and agave spirits, features “a hearty selection of both”.
