Gen Yamamoto

Japan’s culinary creativity is not confined to food, as is reflected by the contents of Gen Yamamoto’s cocktail glasses at his eponymously named bar. This intimate space – it seats only eight people around a counter – showcases one of Tokyo’s most respected new generation cocktail craftsmen performing the modern-day cocktail equivalent of a tea ceremony. Yamamoto offers a bespoke and ever-changing cocktail tasting menu of four or six drinks, which, in keeping with many traditional Japanese arts, reflects shiki, the seasons.

Gen Yamamoto is a small, exclusive Tokyo bar offering a selection of seasonal cocktails made from only the best locally sourced ingredients. The focus for every drink here is not on the alcohol content, but on the harmony of the flavors, and the establishment aims to serve creative and refreshing taste combinations with every cocktail it offers. The mandarin, kiwi and akane apple drinks here are divine.

Set amid an ambience reminiscent of a high-end kappo counter restaurant, Azabu-Juban's Gen Yamamoto bar is a cocktail sanctuary. Yamamoto, its namesake, fashions cocktails with the precision of a sushi chef, primarily utilising domestically sourced fruits and vegetables. He adopts a unique, intuitive technique, stirring and measuring by eye and only resorting to jiggers for straight liquor orders.

Gen Yamamoto’s eponymous bar is a serene oasis with eight seats around a handsome bar made from 500-year old Mizunara oak. He approaches cocktail making with a chef-like respect for ingredients and emphasis on balance. Yamamoto’s drinks are fresh, focused, and never boozy.

Gen is a tiny, eight-seat cocktail bar with just one guy making drinks. It’s a very personal experience - everyone drinks from a cocktail tasting menu made up of smaller, but very strong drinks. photo credit: Stan Lee

Gen Yamamoto is a tiny, 8-seater bar tucked in the quiet Azabu-Juban area in Tokyo. Here, Gen (the bar is named after him) meticulously prepares cocktail tasting menu (4 or 6 cocktails only; no solo cocktails) made with fresh, seasonal ingredients– as if he were preparing sushi– omakase-style– and they are super well-balanced and delicious.We (Japan Times columnist Robbie Swinnerton and I) had: Le Lectier pear in Sichida limited edition sakekasu-jochu (sake lees shochu); Mikan and carrot in Yasuda imo-joshu (sweet potato shochu); Freshly squeezed Granny Smith apples in mugi-joshu (barley shochu); and Naoshichi citrus and ume juice in hot Yamazaki whisky. *4 cocktails is priced at ¥4,500 (around PHP1,900) and 6 cocktails at ¥6,500 (around PHP2,763).

The flight of seven small cocktails began with Gen Yamamoto vigorously muddling hassaku, a nubbly-skinned Japanese citrus in the orange family, and pairing it with Marc de Champagne, a French distillate that’s in the same arena as Italian grappa. It was unlike anything I’ve had before. The day’s creations also included juiced kiwi coupled with soju and sprinkled with matcha, followed by pureed Momotaro tomatoes spiked with Laphroaig and sharpened with shiso.

With one man, eight seats, and three menu options, the eponymous Gen Yamamoto is one of the world’s first to serve cocktails, omakase-style. Your intimate experience starts at ￥6,200 for four cocktails, ￥8,000 for six, and ￥8,900 for seven, featuring seasonal creations of locally sourced fruits and vegetables. Every cocktail is meticulously stirred and measured by eye, then presented in a unique piece of glassware alongside carefully selected flowers.

Gen Yamamoto is a bespoke omakase cocktail bar, offering a choice of a flight of 4 or 6 low ABV/smaller pour cocktails. Yamamoto San is very much a one man team, from answering reservation emails, to carefully hand selecting local, seasonal produce for use in his cocktails, as well as ensuring each drink is served in a unique piece of glassware/ceramic. The cocktail tasting menu reflects “shiki”, Japanese seasonality.

For those serious about savouring the art of cocktail creation, Gen Yamamoto in Azabu-Juban is a must-visit. With only eight seats, this intimate venue focuses on the precision of mixology, utilising seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. Renowned mixologist Gen Yamamoto crafts exquisite cocktails presented in unique tumblers alongside a single flower, offering patrons an immersive journey into Japanese flavours.

In the heart of Azabu-Juban lies Gen Yamamoto, an intimate and award-winning cocktail bar that treats mixology as an art form. With an emphasis on fresh, seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients, each drink that’s concocted here is a delicious work of art. This exclusive spot seats just eight people at any one time around a bar crafted from 500-year old Mizunara oak.

Bar Gen Yamamoto, a tiny ground-floor space tucked in the shadows of Tokyo’s glitzy Roppongi district, has quickly become one of the city’s most buzzed-about new craft cocktail bars. But forget what you know about the cocktail bar. There are no suspenders and mustaches, no theatrics, no indie rock or 1920s jazz—no music whatsoever.

Gen Yamamoto is a highly regarded mixologist and the owner of the Gen Yamamoto bar in Tokyo. He is known for his focus on using fresh, locally sourced, and seasonal ingredients in his cocktails, as well as his mastery of Japanese bartending techniques. The recommended drink is the "Sakura Martini" which costs around ¥2,500.

But Gen Yamamoto’s 6-cocktail tasting menu is restrained, harnessing the finest seasonal ingredients and balancing them with fine Japanese spirits as in the freshly squeezed kumquat and sweet potato shochu drink above. For a more whimsical and decidedly less sedate cocktails sesh, head to Bar Benfiddich.

Gen Yamamoto: Providing a tailored cocktail experience, Gen Yamamoto focuses on seasonal ingredients to create a tasting menu of drinks. The minimalist bar setting allows guests to engage directly with the bartender, enhancing the personalized experience.

You have the option to choose the 4-course or 6-course option. Don’t worry, the drinks are not strong and you can’t really taste the alcohol. Most girls who drink occasionally should be able to handle the 6-course option.

Gen Yamamoto is a small, intimate bar located in Azabu Juban. The bar specializes in cocktails made with seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients. The menu changes frequently, so there’s always something new to try.

Located in Tokyo, the bar serves cocktails with a chef-like respect for ingredients. The bar is serene, with eight seats and a bar made from a 500-year-old Mizunara oak. Drinks here are served fresh and focused.