Ben Fiddich

Another hard to find, yet amazingly intimate curated cocktail experience in Tokyo. I was lucky to meet a new friend in Tokyo who decided that we needed to find this place. It is tucked away up an elevator/​stairwell off the street. Look for a very small sign out on the sidewalk, and walk through the hallway to a little elevator. When you arrive you will find a wonderfully dark, and intimate space, where the cocktails are each a catered experience. You will mix with couples and singles having amazing drinks that take 5 minutes to make, and guys drinking gin shots in beers along with smokey whiskey and soda. I liked the mixed crowd and the gracious host. When we left, the owner walked us to the door, waited for the elevator and sent us off with class.
One of the best places to go to in Tokyo, and Hiroyashu Kayama is a true artist and gentleman. This is in my top 5 cocktail experiences in the world.

Will likely fly back to Tokyo from the US just to drink here. It was that good. Owner Hiroyasu Kayama was the most gracious host and really knew his craft. Went for a drink, left with a lifetime experience.
Not inherently obvious how to get there as an American who expects any retail to be on the first floor of a building. This was on the 9^th floor, the elevator is to the right of the Karaōke place in a small entryway.

One of the best cocktail bars I have been to and the bartenders are really nice and make their own drink specials. A must see place when you are in shinjuku. Also it’s on the 9^th floor and the drink menu and directions are on the street.

My girlfriend and I are regular cocktail drinkers in the NYC and London scene, and luckily stumbled into Ben Fiddich for what surely was our best experience ever.
The bar has an old rustic feel on the 9^th floor of an office building near Shinjuku station, with a beautiful wooden bar, a baroque style painting and baroque piano music playing in background.
Hirosuya is surely the most impressive bartender we saw in Tokyo (and probably the world) combining flair/​showmanship (e.g., hard shake technique, precise movements), perfectly balanced drinks, and an attention to local seasonal ingredients ala Gen Yamamoto.
We had 5 drinks:
— A Campari styled drink using Vodka and 15+ spices and herbs; amazingly recreating the flavor profile and color of Campari without using bitters or amaro/​camparis
— A gin based drink with Yuzu and a bitter japaneese herb to give it more depth
— His version of a negroni, using a 30+ year old bottle of antica pesa which gave the drink a more caramely and molassy backbone
— A persimmon calvados concoction that was delicately balanced and pretty creative
— His own homemade absinthe using herbs farmed on his family’s property outside Tokyo
All drinks were sublime, perfectly balanced, very refined and completed with the ultimate attention to detail.
It is expensive (15−20k per drink), but do not dare miss this

Highlight of the Tokyo portion of our trip. Bartender & his staff are amazing. The Japanese whisky I tried here blended with peach was probably the best drink I’ve ever had. Must visit if you’re in the area.

Best cocktail bar experience ever! Known as an absinthe bar, but this is a place dedicated to the art and craft of the cocktail… btw, a bit hard to find as I did not realize it was upstairs from the main street