The immaculate throwback aura of the Old Imperial Bar
Imperial Hotel Tokyo
Tokyo is home to some of the greatest hotel bars on earth. So if you’re going to compete in a landscape like this, you had better come correct. The Old Imperial Bar—a polished jewel beset along the edge of the Imperial Hotel’s sprawling mezzanine—might just supersede all else in the city. It holds a number of key facets to help assert the claim, including perfectly-constructed cocktails, impeccable hospitality, and transportive decor.
The first two are non-negotiable within any worthwhile Japanese watering hole. But that third element can be overlooked by some venues, particularly in more modern hotels that eschew personality in favor of sterility. Not here. In fact, personality might be the Old Imperial Bar’s greatest single asset.
Stepping into the space is to step back in time. The weight of the modern world is left at the door as you embrace an interior lined with burnt brick, red leather and mahogany. The dim lighting helps blur the barriers between yesteryear and today. Little of what you feel is facsimile; it was constructed in the early 1970s and next to nothing has changed in the years since.
The original Imperial Hotel, an icon of the encircling Ginza neighborhood, was constructed in 1923 by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was the legendary architect’s first foray into the Far East. When the current building was constructed in its place, the Old Imperial Bar retained Art Deco flourishes of the former edifice, including a partial facade fashioned by Wright.
Today, that facade stands in the far corner of the bar; the only part of the original hotel still on-site. You can literally reach out and touch Wright’s concrete Mayan Revival paneling while seated at your Chesterfield banquette.
But we’d recommend seeking refuge at the bar instead. It’s an eminently intimate setting, where you’re afforded a front row view of the mixological wonders coming together on the opposite side of the stick. Despite the showmanship on display back there, it’s quite clear that the spotlight is literally on whatever drink you have in-hand. A series of overhead lights are positioned to align with each stool setting. They beam a perfect circle of illumination in front of every seat at the bar.
Many guests here will steer towards the sweeping array of Japanese whiskies on offer. A simple highball preparation—with soda and delicately-sculpted clear ice in a tall glass—is the recommended rendering for much of that. Though if you’re going to sample the bar’s own private selection of whisky, it really ought to be in neat form.
The expression in question is a 2019 vintage of sherry-cask single malt sourced from the Akkeshi Distillery in Hokkaido. The liquid is brimming with marmalade and tobacco spice—elements that are elongated when sipped slowly at room temperature. It’ll set you back around $50 per pour.
A selection of rare suntory whiskies at the Old Imperial Bar
Old Imperial Bar
Nevertheless, the signature cocktail from Old Imperial avoids whisky, altogether. It’s actually a gin-based arrangement. The Mount Fuji is a balanced assembly of Old Tom Gin, pineapple and lemon juices, egg white, fresh cream and cherry liqueur, priced at $20. The exacting recipe was devised in 1924 and remains unchanged ever since. The finishing touch is a cherry garnish, carefully set atop the stemware, meant to mimic the red sun rising above the country’s most celebrated peak.
Across its sizable footprint, the Imperial Hotel contains ample food and beverage offerings worthy of celebration in their own right. Below street level, Torakuro commands considerable respect as a subterranean kaiseki—a dozen inventive courses expertly paired alongside sake, whisky and wine. 17 floors above the cityscape, the Imperial Lounge Aqua provides an unimpeded view of the adjacent Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens. It’s a panorama typically reserved for folks who spend the $300 minimum to secure a well-appointed guest room at the hotel.
But regardless of whether or not you’re overnighting at the Imperial Hotel, whether it’s 2026 or 1976, no cocktail connoisseur should stay in Tokyo without at least one visit to the Old Imperial Bar.
Preparing a Mt. Fuji cocktail at the bar. The legendary cocktail was invented here in 1924.
Old Imperial Bar
AloJapan.com