Tokyo’s Mixology Salon opens international outpost in Singapore

Master mixologist Shuzo Nagumo has brought his ‘tea-tails’ concept to international markets and yet for Singapore this is just the beginning.

The Mixology Salon in Tokyo is renowned for its precision tea-infused cocktails. A brainchild of master mixologist Shuzo Nagumo, the concept was first launched in the upmarket suburb of Ginza in 2016 and took off from there. Nagumo runs six locations in Tokyo, from the original eight-seater bar in Ginza to Akasaka.

This week, Nagumo debuted his first international branch in Singapore’s Intercontinental Hotel in Robertson Quay.

The Singapore bar was conceived in collaboration with renowned chocolatier Janice Wong, a frequent guest at the Ginza salon who has worked with him before on other ventures. The master sommelier is in town to open the bar and plans to visit the city regularly, while Nagumo’s protégé, Kaoru Takii, will helm the bar on a daily basis.

At the venue, guests can order the signature ‘tea tails’ such as Sencha Gin and Tonic, where the gin is infused with two kinds of Sencha tea at room temperature. Alternatively, they can opt for a cocktails course of three to five cocktails, including a flight of Gyokuro tea tails- the highest grade of green tea, where the aromatic tea leaves are steeped at varying temperatures to bring out the taste and aroma profiles.

Looking ahead, Nagumo aims to bring Japanese tea culture to an international audience. “Tea is our culture, and people don’t know about our tea history,” says Nagumo and confirms that he will import the best teas from Japan.

He is currently in talks with Hong Kong, Paris, and Thailand and hopes to open a Mixology Salon in Georgia soon.