The first Western-style bar opened in Japan in the mid-nineteenth century, but it wasn’t until the 1870s that actual cocktails were regularly served. Although such establishments catered to foreigners, the help was Japanese, and these young men eagerly absorbed the techniques and traditions of Western bartending. Later, many opened their own bars, primarily in the Ginza area. Over time, a cocktail culture emerged – one that values technique over efficiency. Drinks were made one at a time so that the bartender could devote all of his efforts to satisfying an individual customer. New bar tools were created and old ones modified. Ice became an art form, with Ninja Ice (invisible in the glass), the ice ball (melts more slowly) and Brilliant Ice (sparkles like diamonds). Moreover, Japanese whiskey, in less than a century, became world renowned. It is this uniquely Japanese narrative and the glamour of the cocktail bar that inspired this sophisticated Seiko Presage series.
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The most treasured aspects of Japanese cocktail culture include silence, attention to detail, and profound respect for the customer. In this sense, bartending shares much with the cherished tea ceremony, where omotenashi (hospitality) is valued above all. In Japan, bartenders do not simply take an order; rather, they discern customer preferences based on personal interactions – both verbal and non-verbal. As time passes, drinks become even more ideally suited to the individual customer’s tastes. At the Star Bar in Ginza, owner and head bartender Hisashi Kishi enthusiastically perpetuates the charming tradition of omotenashi. The first Japanese to win the International Bartenders’ Association World Cocktail Championships, Mr. Kishi serves as Seiko’s advisor for the cocktail-themed Presage series.
Paying homage to the old-world elegance of cocktail bars, this Seiko Presage series radiates glamour and sophistication. The ice-blue face of the model inspired by the Skydiving cocktail evokes the timeless clarity of the heavens, and is available in two versions. Another cocktail classic, the Manhattan, led to the creation of an urbane model with an exquisitely gradated brown dial. Cheers!
