Best Cocktail Bars in Tokyo

Tokyo has one of the world's most distinguished cocktail bar cultures, rooted in a uniquely Japanese approach to craft that treats bartending as a discipline of precision, respect, and continuous improvement. The city's best bars have influenced the global cocktail world profoundly — the Japanese whisky highball, the careful sourcing of ice, the silent dedication of the master bartender — and the experience of drinking in a Tokyo bar is unlike anywhere else on earth.

The star bars of Ginza — Bar High Five, Bar Benfiddich, and the legendary Star Bar — represent classical Japanese bartending at its most refined, with master bartenders who have dedicated decades to the craft. Shibuya and Shinjuku have excellent cocktail bars at more accessible price points. The natural wine and cocktail crossover that has emerged in Nakameguro and Shimokitazawa represents the newer direction of Tokyo's bar scene. The city's whisky bars — particularly those specialising in Japanese and Scotch single malts — are pilgrimages for spirits enthusiasts worldwide.