The Ginza neighborhood is probably Japan’s most famous downtown region. The area is filled with numerous department stores and luxury brand boutiques. One such building, GINZA SIX, Ginza’s largest commercial building, opened in 2017 and recently celebrated its seventh anniversary in April of this year. On the 13th floor of this stylish and luxurious building, you will find Mixology Salon, which is a bar that serves surprisingly creative tea-based cocktails based on the theme of “tea meets mixology.”

Some of you may not be familiar with mixology, but it is a term that combines the word “mix” (as in mixing drinks) with the suffix “-ology,” meaning “the study of” to refer to the art or skill of preparing mixed drinks. Generally, when referring to cocktails, it is used to describe drinks that are made with a sense of creative freedom and go beyond the usual conventions for such beverages. Similarly, the people who make such cocktails are referred to as mixologists. In fact, the bar’s owner, Shuzo Nagumo, is considered one of Japan’s top mixologists. In addition to Mixology Salon, he manages five other bars, including “memento mori” in Toranomon, a bar based on the concept of using cacao and botanicals, and “FOLKLORE” in Hibiya, which features uniquely Japanese cocktails made with a shochu or sake base.

Mixology Salon only serves cocktails that are made with specially selected tea leaves, including sencha, matcha, and roasted teas. These days, it is common to find places that serve cocktails made with tea, but when Mixology Salon first opened alongside the GINZA SIX building, it was a true pioneer in the field. On the day of this interview, I spoke with Kota Akasaka, a bartender at Mixology Salon, about the impetus for opening the bar.

“Firstly, the goal of GINZA SIX was to serve as a way to share Japanese culture with the world, so Nagumo felt that tea was something that fit in nicely with that concept. We bartenders are always learning more about Western liquors, but we feel that Japanese culture can often be overlooked as a result of that. Like any mixologist, Nagumo’s mission is to use pretty much any liquid in existence in a cocktail, so I feel like it was only a matter of time before he turned his attention to tea.”

Enjoying tea cocktails in a minimalist space reminiscent of a proper tearoom

GINZA SIX features numerous restaurants and lounges on the 13th floor, but Mixology Salon is one of its smaller establishments. The bar has six counter-seats and a single table for two people, while textured plaster artwork hangs on the walls. The light hanging from the ceiling is shaped like a naginata, a Japanese-bladed weapon with a long shaft, although its length is uneven on the left and right sides. In place of the usual back bar, where liquor and glasses are lined up, is a cupboard, so that such items are hidden from view of the customers, thereby creating a tranquil space to enjoy your cocktails. The variety of elements filling this minimalist space consisting of a mere 21.5 square meters, when juxtaposed with that sense of tranquility, make the entire place reminiscent of a proper Japanese tearoom.

However, given its location in luxurious Ginza, its minimalist atmosphere, and its tea-based theme, many people may find it to be somewhat intimidating. Upon mentioning the topic, Akasaka offers the following in response.

“Although we are a bar, we also serve non-alcoholic cocktails as well as tea and Japanese sweets, so everyone is welcome here. We also open from 1:00 p.m., so we get many people stopping by to take a break from shopping.”

Akasaka’s comments provide me with a sense of relief, especially given his gentle nature.

“Both tearooms and bars are meant to be a place where you can rest and take a break from the rest of your day. Therefore, we want people to feel free to visit us without feeling uncomfortable or awkward.”

The philosophy of mixology
“Signature Tea Cocktails Course”

Just what kind of world does Mixology Salon envision when it comes to merging tea and cocktails? In order to find out, I asked Akasaka to make me three different cocktails as part of the bar’s Signature Tea Cocktails Course, which enables you to gain an overview of their thoughts on the subject.

The first drink he made for me was a sencha-based gin and tonic. This cocktail uses Shin Saemidori tea from Oyama Tea Farm located in Higashisonogi Town in Nagasaki Prefecture. It features a refreshing taste while also striking a balance between fruity sweetness and bitterness. I find it somewhat odd that the flavor of the tea remains present even though it has been mixed into a cocktail.

“The tea leaves are steeped in gin to extract their existing flavor and aroma. I wanted the drink to focus on the tea leaves’ natural flavor, so I keep the cocktail simple using just tonic water and soda, and no lime. However, if you only use tonic water, it’s difficult to discern the tea’s sweetness, so I also add soda to balance out both the sweetness and carbonation of the drink.”

For my second drink, I received a hojicha & rum-based Manhattan.

“We take deep roasted tea from Makinohara in Shizuoka Prefecture and steep it in a premium rum from Guatemala called Zacapa Rum for a period of two days. This helps enhance both the aftertaste and aroma. Hojicha pairs well with sweeter flavors, so it goes excellently with rum, which is an alcohol made from sugar cane.”

The drink is made by mixing the hojicha rum with two kinds of vermouth and then adding a splash of cognac into a short cocktail glass. It gives off the sweet and fragrant aroma of roasted green tea, and features a rather complex mixture of light bitterness and chocolatey sweetness. Furthermore, perhaps due to the presence of the cognac, the aftertaste also lingers on the palette for an extended period of time.

Much like with the drink’s taste, I found myself equally surprised by its intricate presentation.

“First, I rinse the ice using a small amount of hojicha. This is because if you directly pour alcohol onto the ice, the hojicha’s flavor tends to get a bit ‘wild,’ so to speak. By rinsing the ice first, you infuse it with the aroma of the hojicha, which helps it blend in with the cocktail.”

The rinsed ice is added to the cocktail’s ingredients and then stirred. It is important to stir the drink as if you’re kneading the mixture, so that there is no undulation in the water. This helps to create a smoother initial texture for the drink.

Once finished, Akasaka performs a somewhat long pour of the stirred cocktail into a glass. Although such gestures are commonly associated with bartenders, they are not used simply for show. Rather, this is an important process that can affect the quality of the cocktail.

“By pouring from an elevated position like this, I am able to ensure that the liquids are mixed together properly. As long as they flow together smoothly, you know the stirring was done correctly.”

My hojicha rum Manhattan was made with such loving care and practical science in every step. It was most definitely a drink that conveyed the philosophy that goes into the art of mixology and gave a glimpse into the breadth of their world.

For my final drink of the Signature Tea Cocktails Course, I was given a Matcha Godfather made with hot green tea. This innovative drink is a shining example of the mixology ethos, served in a matcha tea bowl so as to fuse the classic cocktail with Japanese tea culture. Although it looks like a regular cup of matcha, you can also detect the sweet aroma of whiskey in the air.

“After brewing the matcha, I add a pre-made mixture of “kuromitsu” (brown sugar syrup), amaretto, and Hakushu whiskey, and then mix it all together with a tea whisk. The kuromitsu and matcha go very well together, and amaretto is a liqueur that is made from apricot kernels, so its almond-like flavor also blends extremely well with matcha. Lastly, I add some Hakushu whiskey. I’ve tried other brands, but I find that Hakushu interferes with the matcha’s flavor the least.”

The sweet scent I detected before seems to come from the amaretto. Upon tasting it, I discover the cocktail strikes a harmonious balance between the matcha’s mellow flavor, the amaretto’s sweetness, and the Hakushu’s richness. The warm flavors combine to bring out the best in each other, making it a nice bookend to complete the course.

Akasaka previously worked as a hotel bartender. After coming to work at Mixology Salon, he found himself increasingly fascinated by the myriad charms of tea. I asked him about the pride he feels as a mixologist when using tea as a key ingredient in his cocktails.

“When I’m drinking different kinds of tea, I often feel like keeping it simple and only using hot water is the best way, but here at Mixology Salon, we always seek to go above and beyond such a presentation. I think on a daily basis about which spirits or liqueurs will bring out the best in each kind of tea, and whether I should distill or steep the tea in order to extract the most flavor. Additionally, the quality of the same type of tea from the same farm can change yearly, so we always need to make adjustments to our menu and recipes. It is the duty of a mixologist to continually keep up with tea’s evolution and anticipate what new possibilities may arise in the future, so that’s part of what makes our job so fascinating.”

By definition, a mixologist is “someone who creates imaginative cocktails that go beyond the conventional concepts.” Akasaka says that the world of tea is ideally suited to tackling such challenges due to its depth and complexity. In the second half of this feature, I speak with Akasaka about the various charms and possibilities of tea that he has discovered while working at Mixology Salon as I enjoy some of their other signature cocktails known as Teatails.

Mixology Salon
This bar specializes in tea-based cocktails and uses mixology concepts to present a variety of unique cocktails that cannot be found anywhere else.
GINZA SIX 13F, 6-10-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
1:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. (10:00 p.m. last order), days off coincide with those of GINZA SIX
instagram.com/mixology_Salon

Kota Akasaka
Originally born in Hokkaido, he previously worked as a hotel bartender before joining Spirits & Sharing Inc. in 2019 and serving as a bartender at Mixology Salon.

Photo by Misa Shimazu
Text (originally in Japanese) by Rihei Hiraki
Edit by Yoshiki Tatezaki