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Tokyo has no shortage of top-notch cocktail spots, but with their hush-hush atmosphere, sharp-suited bartenders, and the occasional language barrier, many can feel intimidating for the unaccustomed visitor. For London-born <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-graham-670b4b103/?originalSubdomain=jp?DestinAsian">Holly Graham</a>, who spent most of her adult life roving around Asia’s best cocktail bars as both a drinks journalist and adept mixologist, this presented a gap in the market. At the end of 2023, she opened <a href="https://www.tokyoconfidential.com?DestinAsian">Tokyo Confidential</a> in the Azabujuban district as an easygoing drinking den that gets house-party rowdy as the night progresses.
The drink list is on par with some of the city’s best. Head bartender Waka Murata draws inspiration from Japanese ingredients, resulting in drinks with miso and brown butter-washed gin, Okinawan awamori, or Doburoku (a cloudy sake variety)—all served with caviar bumps, east-meets-west bar snacks, and eye-popping views of the <a href="https://en.tokyotower.co.jp/?DestinAsian">Tokyo Tower</a> in the glittering distance. —Chris Schalkx
<a href="https://www.tokyoconfidential.com?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tokyoconfidential.com</a> 
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<a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/uyf3sDPvMWeRfevK6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9/F The V-City Azabu-Juban Place, 1-6-1 Azabu-Juban, Minato, Tokyo, Japan</a>

A disco ball hangs above the U-shaped bar at Tokyo Confidential.

Tokyo Confidential: Easygoing Drinking Den