BAR NEXT

You don’t need to know your whiskies inside out to enjoy choosing a bottle at BAR NEXT. One visitor, after mentioning a fondness for whisky, was shown a special list and chose several unusual bottles, including independent bottlings, while listening to the staff’s explanations. The list included Caperdonich 21 years and Clynelish 19 years, served as 20-millilitre single pours and listed at prices from 1,000 to 1,800 yen. According to the menu, the special list offers 20-millilitre pours at a cash-only special price. Ask to see the whisky menu if a particular bottle catches your eye.

For a few different pours, the menu also offers the “Neku Neku SET”. Choose 3 drinks from selections priced at 1,200 yen or less, Japanese whiskies or Islay whiskies. The set is listed at 3,000 yen, including tax and cover charge, at a cash-only special price. The “Luxury Highball” is made with an old whisky that was on the market in the 1980s; the bottle changes from time to time. Listed at 1,000 yen, it’s another way to try whisky if you’d rather have it in a highball than on the rocks.

The cocktail list offers plenty beyond whisky. Japanese-inspired options include the “Tea&JW Cocktail”, combining green tea or matcha liqueur with Japanese whisky, and the “Sakura Cocktail”, made with sakura liqueur, Calpis and soda. There’s also a cocktail named for hojicha and milk, alongside a tiramisu cocktail and iced Irish coffee. These dessert-leaning options make for a different kind of after-dinner drink.

For food as well as drinks, a reservation course is listed with 2 hours of free-flow drinks, an assortment of smoked items, 2–3 à la carte dishes, and pizza or pasta. One account describes the many table seats as convenient for groups. Whether you’re stopping in alone for a drink or getting together with friends to compare whiskies, the reservation course is another option to consider.