A special drink that continues to evolve at bars and cafes: 4 places in Tokyo where you can enjoy "coffee cocktails"

æ (ash) [zero-waste cafe & bar]

Coffee is an ingredient. Use its acidity and bitterness to enhance the flavor.

Ash is a cafe bar run in collaboration with SG Group, where the bean blend is overseen by Japan Barista Champion Takayuki Ishitani. Light roasts are handled by Leaves Coffee Roasters, and dark roasts are handled by Obscura Coffee Roasters.

"Like fruit and cream, coffee is one of the ingredients in cocktails. Specialty coffee has a wide range of flavors, from acidity to bitterness to sweetness, so it can create unprecedented tastes. Deciding what to focus on when selecting it is difficult, but interesting," says barista Yudai Namekawa. "Coffee is ultimately a supporting role. We focus on the final flavor and adjust it to complement it." True to his words, the Cointreau Cappuccino is finished with a fruity note using light roast espresso.

COFFEE BAR CIELO

Aiming for a distinctive flavor that stands out from the beans, starting from the roasting stage

Hiroyuki Hieda, owner of Bar Cello, an authentic bar in Sangenjaya that has been in business for 20 years, discovered new possibilities for cocktails in the rich aroma of specialty coffee and opened the bar in 2023. The bar's manager, Mirai Kurishima, has extensive knowledge and experience working at Light Up Coffee in Shimokitazawa. Kurishima carefully roasts the beans used in the bar in a Dutch-made Giessen coffee shop installed inside the bar.

It's worth noting that there are 10 different varieties of espresso martinis alone. The diverse flavors, such as cinnamon, rose, and smoky, allow you to discover a whole new world, all thanks to the collaboration between coffee and alcohol professionals. There are always six types of beans for sale, from various regions such as Tanzania, Rwanda, and Bolivia.

LIQUID FACTORY

A laboratory pursuing special flavors with cold brew

The shop, run by Keita Saito, who has a diverse background including being a car mechanic and a bartender at a foreign luxury hotel in Tokyo, also has a lab space equipped with cutting-edge equipment.

As the shop's name, which means "liquid factory," suggests, the inquisitive Saito says that the appeal of specialty coffee is that "as the quality of light-roasted single-origin coffee in particular has improved and the range of flavors has expanded, it has become possible to make fragrant cocktails without using coffee liqueur."

With the help of roaster Sena Kawahara, he continues to research cocktails using cold brew instead of espresso. The key to its deliciousness is to roast the beans more deeply and grind them finely than regular bags, and to extract a larger amount. These special coffee bags are also available for purchase in the store.

No.

With its gorgeous aroma, it makes a light cocktail perfect for drinking in the morning.

This cafe serves breakfast and lunch, and allows you to choose a book from the shelves and relax while reading. They also serve low-alcohol cocktails that are similar to drip coffee or cafe latte.

According to barista and bartender Kai Kudo, "Many of our customers drink alcohol in the morning, so we make our drinks light and vibrant. The rich flavor of the specialty coffee allows us to add depth without relying on liqueur."

The beans are sourced from Kyodo's Raw Sugar Roast, and can also be purchased individually. They also collaborate with famous coffee shops such as Ignis and Acid Coffee to regularly hold coffee cocktail events that focus on roasters.