This Gucci Bar in Osaka Is One of the Most Inventive Cocktail Experiences in the World

"In the entranceway to Gucci Giardino Osaka, a massive woven bamboo sculpture by artist Chikuunsai Tanabe IV anchors the staircase landing-a visual overture to the drama above. Inside the fashion house's cocktail den, walls glow in Rosso Ancora, a deep shade of red that nods to founder Guccio Gucci's early days as an elevator operator at London's Savoy Hotel. Leather seats and backlit panels complete a seductive setting where intrigue feels inevitable."

"The bar arrives at a moment when Osaka's cocktail culture is hitting a new stride. Openings like Bar Bota at the Four Seasons and Canes & Tales at the Waldorf Astoria signal a serious investment in the city's after-dark ambitions, and Gucci Giardino-now a year into its run inside the Herbis Plaza ENT complex-has quickly established itself as one of the scene's most inventive players."

"At the helm is bar manager Sebastian Viguera, a Chilean-born sommelier and whisky expert who cut his teeth in Tokyo's cocktail world. His latest menu, framed as "a journey from Italy to Japan," unfolds across 16 cocktails. Firenze Through Seb's Eyes riffs on the pisco sour, blending Peruvian Mosto Verde pisco with a syrup made from traditional Tuscan saltless bread and a slick of extra virgin olive oil-a drink that references both Gucci's birthplace and Viguera's Latin American roots."

Gucci Giardino Osaka is inside the Herbis Plaza ENT complex and features a massive woven bamboo sculpture at the staircase landing. The cocktail den uses Rosso Ancora walls, leather seats, and backlit panels to create a seductive atmosphere. Bar manager Sebastian Viguera, a sommelier and whisky expert, presents a 16-cocktail menu framed as a journey from Italy to Japan. Signature drinks include Firenze Through Seb's Eyes, which blends Peruvian Mosto Verde pisco with Tuscan saltless bread syrup and extra virgin olive oil; and Serenade to a Stranger, a jasmine-whisky espresso martini crowned with a cloud of coffee foam. Nonalcoholic drinks use evaporated spirits to retain complexity. A reservations-only Mixology Laboratory offers an intimate experimental experience.

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