Tokyo’s Bar Benfiddich heads to Paris with Lejay Lagoute
Hiroyasu Kayama of Bar Benfiddich will take over Harry’s Bar in Paris tonight (23 June) for a guest shift in partnership with Lejay Lagoute Crème de Cassis.
Kayama has created a cocktail menu inspired by his recent visit to Burgundy in France with Lejay Lagoute for the cassis harvest.
The menu, said to be ‘inspired by the meeting of Japanese and Burgundian terroirs,’ will be available at Harry’s Bar in the 2nd arrondissement from 6pm tonight.
Drinks on offer at the one-night takeover include the Mochi Cassis, which contains Lejay Cassis, Roku Gin, cream, sake grappa, anko paste, and sansho; and the Perfume of Peach, with Lejay Pêche, vodka, clear Campari and lavender-distilled water.
Lejay Lagoute was established in Dijon in 1841 by café owner and aspiring liquorist Auguste-Denis Lagoute, who would later be recognised as the inventor of blackcurrant liqueur crème de cassis.
The La Martiniquaise-Bardinet-owned company’s Crème de Cassis is said to be the best-selling French spirit in Japan by volume. It is imported into the country through a partnership with Suntory Global Spirits.
Kayama – who owns Bar Benfiddich in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward – approaches his work with a farm-to-glass philosophy. His drinks often feature fruits, herbs and other botanicals grown on his family farm in Saitama.
Launched in 2013, Bar Benfiddich has appeared on the World’s 50 Best Bars list seven times, and placed in the top 10 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars every year since 2016.
Harry’s Bar, also known as Harry’s New York Bar, has been serving cocktails in Paris since 1911.
Lejay expanded its product range in 2014 with a bitter cassis variant designed for use in classic cocktails like the Negroni.
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