Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2013

Gen Yamamoto is a mixologist who had a big following in New York City for his specialty cocktails made from fresh fruits and vegetables. His bar is tucked in a side street off of the main drag of Azabu-Juban, near the Abe-chan yakitori joint and the purveyor of flavored beans Mamegen. An intimate, mimimalist space, it seats only eight at a counter made from a 500-year-old mizunara (Japanese oak) tree. Yamamoto claims the size of it allows him to focus on his craft without sacrificing attention to detail. That extends to his choice of ambient sounds. There are none—just the music of conversation.

On a recent visit with a friend, Yamamoto started us off with a refreshing, if slightly spicy, sparkling ginger cocktail made with London Hill dry gin. The lime and ginger were both from Ehime Prefecture, while the London Hill was his way to welcome and acknowledge our friend’s hometown.

After the welcome drink, we were poured something slightly more domestic and invigorating: a thick slurry of freshly crushed sweet tomatoes combined with Kawame kome jochu, both from Kumamoto. The ripe, pure flavor of the tomato was a delightful balance to the rice-distilled tones of the shochu.

Yamamoto is happy to create a tasting course for you. Tell him what you are in the mood for and what you like, much as you would at a sushi counter, and let the maestro weave his magic.

Next stop was a sprightly, slightly sparkling drink made from namazake (unpasteurized sake)—only available this time of year. The Bijofu from Kochi Prefecture is a light and cloudy usunigori sake that was paired with freshly squeezed Ehime orange juice and freshly grated wasabi. The nihonshu itself was a bit saccharine but the added bite of wasabi evened and elevated it. The tailing hint of sweet orange rounded out the drink with a delicate lingering taste.

Yamamoto is known to think outside of the box. He caught us off guard with a warm Dassai 50 daiginjo sake that was topped off with a chilled strawberry cream and sprigs of mint. The sugary smack of the Tochiotome strawberry from Tochigi and the contrast in temperature was a striking surprise.

We also enjoyed a simple hassaku cocktail made with vodka, fresh-squeezed hassaku orange from Ehime and ko-cha from Shizuoka. His fresh produce (this season likely to include white kabocha, kiwi and kumquats) offers the opportunity to not only get a tasty dose of required vitamins and minerals, but a little mud in your eye, too.