At The World’s 50 Best Bars 2026 awards ceremony, revealed in Milan earlier this month, the undeniable momentum behind Asian cocktail culture took center stage. More than a dozen bars from major Asian cities secured coveted spots in the global Top 50, capped off by Hong Kong’s Bar Leone claiming the prestigious title of The World’s Best Bar for the second consecutive year. Close behind at No. 2 was Milan’s own Moebius Milano, which earned the distinction of Best Bar in Europe.
The general outcome of the awards reflected a broader, ongoing shift in what both discerning drinkers and the global hospitality industry increasingly value. In Japanese and Asian bar culture, the individual drink is rarely considered in isolation. Instead, elements such as ice, glassware, temperature, texture, pacing, setting, and service form an interconnected part of the entire experience. Technique is not deployed merely as a performance of expert mastery, but rather as a deliberate means of making a guest feel deeply considered.
Japanese cocktail culture has long made an exquisite art of these intricate details. Today, its foundational values of rigorous craftsmanship and thoughtful hospitality are becoming an increasingly influential vocabulary within the global bar world. The widespread appeal lies not only in a recognizable aesthetic, but also in an approach that seamlessly marries discipline with ease, ritual with sociability, and innovation with a profound attentiveness to tradition.
During The World’s 50 Best Bars Week in October, Milan transformed into a vibrant temporary meeting point for international bartenders, bar owners, and prominent hospitality professionals. Across the city, an energetic circuit of guest shifts, masterclasses, exclusive dinners, and guided tastings created an atmosphere that functioned simultaneously as an industry summit, a social gathering, and a high-profile international showcase for a profession that has grown more collaborative and globally connected than ever before.
Against this backdrop of international exchange, Ceresio 7, the renowned rooftop restaurant and bar in Milan, served as the venue where The House of Suntory presented Suntory Time. This dedicated platform was launched to explore the artistry, seasonality, and unique hospitality shaping modern Japanese drinking culture. The program brought foundational spirits like Roku Gin, Toki Japanese Whisky, and Haku Vodka into a series of thoughtful conversations and tastings designed around a contemporary expression of Japanese heritage. The overarching approach is firmly rooted in the meticulous attention to detail that characterizes Japanese bartending, stretching from the careful sourcing of local ingredients to the architectural construction of a drink, its visual presentation, and the quality of human interaction between the bartender and the guest.
One of the week’s most closely watched appearances came from Shingo Gokan, the celebrated Japanese bartender and entrepreneur behind New York’s Sip & Guzzle and Hong Kong’s Gokan. Earlier in April, Sip & Guzzle was named No. 1 in North America’s 50 Best Bars 2026, earning the title of The Best Bar in North America. At Ceresio 7, Gokan brought his signature balance of technical rigor and approachable warmth to a guest shift centered on Japanese ingredients and playful flavor profiles. His standout creation, the astounding Omatsuri Banana, combined Toki Japanese Whisky, rich miso, chocolate, and caramelized banana—a dessert-adjacent cocktail that brilliantly brought savory and sweet notes into harmonious balance.
Later during the main awards ceremony at Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Gokan received the Roku Industry Icon Award 2026. Sponsored by Roku Gin, the accolade recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding, lasting contribution to the global bar industry. In Gokan’s case, the honor acknowledged an influence that extends far beyond the walls of any single establishment. Over his career, he has built an international presence as a bartender, founder, mentor, and operator, helping to establish a sustainable model of Japanese-inspired hospitality that travels easily across cities, borders, and distinct cultures.
Earlier that same day, Julia Momose—a talented chef, bartender, and the creative force behind Chicago’s Kumiko—led an illuminating masterclass at Ceresio 7 as part of the Suntory Time programming. Her session explored the delicate ritual of the Toki Highball, utilizing a familiar, classic format to illustrate the precision, restraint, and profound sensitivity to ingredients that define Japanese cocktail-making. Momose was notably included in the 2026 global extended list of The World’s 50 Best Bars at No. 70, following a stellar year in which her Chicago bar also won World’s Best Bar and Best U.S. Restaurant Bar at the 2025 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.
For Momose, however, the professional drive always begins with a deeply personal memory. Her journey into the industry started inside a hidden speakeasy bar in Kyoto, where she experienced her first cocktail and witnessed firsthand the quiet magic of true hospitality. That formative encounter inspired her to create similar moving experiences for other people, eventually leading her toward the dream of opening her own bar upon moving to the United States.
She ultimately found the ideal home for that ambition in Chicago. Describing her adopted city, Momose noted her deep appreciation for its atmosphere, its people, and its burgeoning food-and-drink culture. At Kumiko, her establishment located in the city’s West Loop, she strives to bring together Japanese heritage, seasonal ingredients, and a genuine sense of welcome. Momose describes her role as an ambassador for Japanese culture with a balanced mixture of personal pride and professional responsibility, expressing a desire to challenge common stereotypes and share a culture that celebrates individuals, specialized products, and enduring traditions.
That ambition is most clearly expressed through omotenashi, a traditional Japanese approach to hospitality that Momose defines as careful listening and a deep-seated respect for the unique needs of every guest. Sometimes, she notes, that translates to providing space and silence; at other times, it means engaging in warm conversation. With every guest who walks into her bar, her approach remains centered on offering genuine omotenashi, bridging the gap between simply serving a drink and sharing the deeper values, stories, and poetry of Japanese culture.
This philosophy represents perhaps the most consequential aspect of Japanese bar culture’s growing global relevance. Its expanding influence is not merely a matter of adopting an imported visual language—such as minimalist interiors, Japanese whiskies, or ceremonial ice carving—though those elements remain compelling. Rather, it offers a robust model of care, where the ultimate goal is to make the guest feel recognized without transforming the act of service into an overt performance of attentiveness.
The broader Suntory portfolio gave that philosophical idea several distinct expressions throughout the week’s events. Roku Gin takes its primary cues from shun, the Japanese concept of enjoying ingredients precisely at their seasonal peak, utilizing native botanicals to give the gin a distinctly Japanese perspective. Toki Japanese Whisky represents the vibrant energy of contemporary Tokyo, successfully bringing Japanese whisky into modern, social drinking occasions. Meanwhile, Haku Vodka, crafted entirely from 100% Japanese white rice, offers a smooth profile characterized by a soft, subtle sweetness intended to support individual expression within complex cocktails.
The relationship between seasonal reverence and product design is similarly visible in the Roku Sakura Bloom Edition, a limited-edition gin introduced by the brand. Inspired by the fleeting sakura season and the cherished Japanese custom of hanami, or flower viewing, the expression features a soft floral profile underscored by a subtle saline note derived from blossom leaves. It serves as a tangible example of how a cultural and seasonal reference can evolve into both a distinct flavor profile and a broader cultural proposition.
A vivid illustration of how Japanese drinking culture is successfully rooting itself across Europe can be found in Milan’s Ronin, a multi-level destination for nightlife experiences. The venue successfully brings together several distinct formats associated with traditional Japanese social life, housing an izakaya and listening bar that serves drinks alongside small dishes, an intimate cocktail bar featuring private karaoke rooms focused on Far Eastern mixology, and a restaurant and quieter cocktail lounge setting. The atmosphere draws lively crowds of different generations, integrating drinking into a broader modern ritual of food, music, and late-night conviviality under the direction of local Italian entrepreneurs whose Japanese-style venture is increasingly capturing the attention of international nightlife operators.
The prominent presence of Asian bars and cultural programming during the week in Milan suggested that the rise of Japanese and Asian bar culture extends far beyond numerical rankings. It represents a fundamental, growing influence on how the international drinks world defines quality—emphasizing precision without rigidity, seasonality without nostalgia, and a style of hospitality that remains sensitive to the individual rather than performative for its own sake. At a time when the world’s best bars are becoming increasingly international in their reference points, Japanese cocktail culture continues to offer a resonant proposition: that the most memorable drink is not merely made with technical skill, but served with enduring attention, warmth, and care.
