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Asia bar industry expert Holly Graham launches new Tokyo site

12 October 2023 By Eloise Feilden

Holly Graham, the author of Cocktails Of Asia, has opened the doors of Tokyo Confidential, a new bar in the Japanese city’s Azabujuban neighborhood, which draws inspiration from “a houseparty that gets suitably rowdy”.

Tokyo Confidential is the first bar concept launched by author and drinks industry journalist Holly Graham, who will continue in her role as managing editor (international) of DRiNK Magazine. She also sits on both the education and Spirited Awards committees for Tales of the Cocktail.

Art featured in the new site has been produced by Argentinian graphic designer and illustrator Alan Rhys Berry and US-based Ravi Zupa. The space also features Graham’s own Maneki-neko
collection.

“I was raised on classic Godzilla movies and traveled to Japan a fair bit over the last decade, so it’s really an homage to the country I love,” Graham said. “Tokyo Confidential doesn’t have a coherent vein that runs through it, but in a way, that’s what makes it coherent.”

The bar concept has been inspired by “a houseparty that gets suitably rowdy”, according to a press release, and Graham’s time hosting family and friends at home during the pandemic prompted the new venture.

“I’ve always loved hosting people, especially during the pandemic when we built a bar in our old home in Hong Kong, which became a sanctuary for us and our friends,” Graham said. “We made a bar in our home, now we’re making our bar into a home for everyone.”

A menu featuring signature cocktails and low- and no-ABV drinks has been designed by Graham and Head Bartender Wakana Murata.

The drinks showcase Japanese ingredients, such as the stirred and spirit-forward Destroy All Monsters with miso brown butter-washed gin, manzanilla sherry, bianco vermouth and ponzu, or the effervescent Go Lightly with Doburoku, awamori, elderflower, tomato, verjus and sparkling wine.

Tokyo Confidential also features a collection of lockers above the bar, offering guests the opportunity to rent a locker and “Lock Up” a bottle from a curated list of exceptionally premium spirits. By-the-glass sparkling wine will also be on offer

“Something that irks me is the barrier of entry to Champagne. I want people to be able to have a glass of something expensive without splurging out on a whole bottle, so we’ll have a wider selection of bubbles by the glass,” Graham explained.

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