September
18
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Because Who WOULDN’T Want A Cocktail Served In A Smoke-Filled Skull?
And that’s just the tip o’ the liquid nitrogen, flash-frozen iceberg at the Codename:Mixology bar! Because although no snozzberries were detected on the menu, this place definitely is to what-did-I-just drinks as Willy Wonka is to chocolate factories.
Blue Cheese Vodka Martini? Check.
Happy-making libation that tastes like Thai Tom Yum soup, only better? Already standing in line for seconds.
Industrial centrifuge + fresh tomatoes + basil-infused gin = that’s the kind of salad I’m talkin’ about.
And this is the magical Rotovapor! It distills flavors from all kinds of unlikely sources to make spirits that taste like everything from foie gras to bamboo leaf.
A little liquid nitrogen is all in a day’s work for the Mixologist X Mad Scientists who craft cocktails that occasionally take the form of adults-only sorbet.
At this place, every technique is an art…
…and watching the bartender make your drink is nearly as much fun as drinking it.
Sorry for the post-Blue Cheese-Martini photos, but here are a few of the temptations on offer, so you can see just how ain’t-never-had-that-before these cocktails can be.
One of the things I especially like about this bar is that most of the cocktails don’t knock you under the table, so you can try (or share) more than one. They’re pretty pricey (¥1500 – ¥1800) but if you consider that the experience includes the entertainment of watching it made plus the pleasure of sitting in a really nice place drinking something you couldn’t get anywhere else in the world, it actually seems like kind of a bargain…
If you’d like to go to Codename:Mixology the next time you’re in Tokyo, maps to the Akasaka branch and the Yaesu mother ship are on my website, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had.
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Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series, now out for the first time in paperback.
A young woman is found dead in an abandoned car, with a pair of strangers old enough to be her parents. Their suicide note apologizes for a disaster that hasn’t yet happened. And someone is stalking the…read more
I’m…uh…speechless. The salad sounds good, though. Much less chewing work.
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And so nutritious. (snort!)
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say no more: smoke-filled skull? I’m here, I’d love to try the bamboo leaf … maybe the grilled miso and chocolate martini too.
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Go with a few people, if you can! It’s kind of like Chinese food: when there are more people, you can order a lot of things and share! ^^;;
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Yes but this year I’m staying at my friend in Tokyo and she’s not really into bars. She works a lot so I think at night we’ll have a cozy evening at home. During the day I’m with a group and it’s their first time in Japan, they want to see the main sights and IF POSSIBLE they want to DINE at places IN THE GUIDE!!! so places a bit different will have to be negociated or I’ll just take time for myself and do the crazy stuff.
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OMG, one of each please… starting with the chocolate martini………..
I simply cannot wait to get to this crazy town.. 🙂
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You’ve got to try them! Although you know what’s strange? They were all delicious, but the ones that we ordered just to say we did (because they were made from really strange ingredients) were by far the best. I didn’t expect to love the tom yum soup one, but it was fantastic. And there was another one that was made from grated apple and foie gras vodka with black pepper on top that was my absolute favorite.
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