This article appeared in Tokyo Weekender Vol. 1, 2025.
To read the entire issue, click here.
Located in the Edition Hotel, Ginza, Punch Room Tokyo has a unique and compelling concept: It’s inspired, as its name suggests, by the rich history of punch. The drink originated on trade ships and eventually made its way to the tables of aristocrats, while still retaining the adventurous and international spirit from its merchant ship origins. Punch Room channels this dual sense of luxury and exploration, with an expansive menu and interior design inspired by 19th-century private clubs in London — sumptuous and lush, with low lighting.
The concept of Punch Room Tokyo’s menu is “wonderland,” and its drinks tell a story of Japanese culture as seen through the eyes of the outside world. Here are some of our favorites from the bar’s new “Wonderland Vol. 2” menu.
Revenge of Taiyaki-kun
Japan’s best-selling single of all time, “Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun” by Masato Shimon is a children’s song about a taiyaki who is tired of being cooked on a hot plate every day. What would happen if the fish-shaped cake rebelled and planned a counterattack? This cocktail is Taiyaki-kun’s sweet yet spicy revenge. It’s a stylish espresso martini with a piquant togarashi kick and a hint of passion fruit that produces a tingling sensation in the mouth.
Korakuen & Matcha – Old Fashioned
Three of the cocktails on the Wonderland Vol. 2 menu are based on the Three Great Gardens of Japan: Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, Korakuen in Okayama and Kairakuen in Mito. Korakuen & Matcha is arguably the pick of the bunch. Inspired by a tea ceremony held in the garden to honor the Zen Buddhist priest Eisai, it’s an old-fashioned cocktail, made with matcha and flavored with peaches.
Wasabi Sonic
An extremely popular drink in Tokyo, the gin sonic is a refreshing highball cocktail made by mixing gin with equal parts tonic water and club soda, which allows the nuanced flavors of the juniper-flavored spirit to shine. In this case, wasabi is added to give the cocktail a savory, spicy taste. It’s one of Punch Room Tokyo’s most popular drinks, and for good reason.
Kappa & Yuzu
A playful homage to the mythical water creature known as the kappa, Kappa & Yuzu is an easy-to-drink highball-style cocktail. It includes doburoku — an ancient type of sake that’s unfiltered — and some yuzu to create a sour taste. To finish things off, there’s a small cucumber, as that, according to legend, is what a kappa loves to feast on.
Bamboo Katana Martini
A mild drink with a pleasant aroma, the Bamboo Katana Martini is a combination of two cocktails: bamboo, a 19th-century Japanese drink that blends sherry and dry vermouth, and a wet martini, using Roku gin and kumazasa tea. Infused with a bamboo leaf and finished with a green peach compote on a mini katana, it’s a creative alternative to the classic gin martini.
To learn more about Punch Room Tokyo, visit its website.
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