The ART of the JAPANESE COCKTAIL

In 2018, Masahiro Urushido and his business partner James Tune opened Katana Kitten, a Japanese-American bar on Hudson Street in New York City. The name reflected their unique approach to mixology— being a samurai sword, embodying “an almost mystical level of precision and craftsmanship,” while kitten was a nod to their “sense of playfulness.” While it may have seemed like a novel, and even contradictory, concept at the time, Katana Kitten rapidly gained recognition as one of the world’s finest cocktail bars; and just one year later, won the coveted Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best New American Cocktail Bar, as well as a spot on the The World’s 50 Best Bars list.