The opening of Mokihi means an auspicious start to the year for cocktail and whiskey fans visiting Lucky Street. (Whiskey fans should also check the daily two-for-one deal at Nashville just a few doors down). The backers include Motonari Uchiyama, bartender and co-owner at Twilight in Jianwai Soho, Apothecary in Sanlitun North, and the former Er on Maizidian Street.
Mokihi is nestled in a restaurant called K’s Kitchen that Uchiyama says will open within a month and feature Western foods with a Japanese twist. It has one long bar with seating for about a dozen, dim lighting and light music, a relaxed atmosphere, and a liquor stock that typifies the Japanese-style bars of this city. Most cocktails cost RMM60 to RMB70.
I ordered the Wasabi Martini, which includes gin, green Chartreuse, dry Vermouth, cucumber, lemon juice, and freshly grated wasabi. This is a cloudy concoction that is refreshing but with a bit too much edge for me. Fellow imbiber Blox said, “it’s vegetal… like a health drink [with gin]“, while The Cellar Rat described it as having “four levels of flavor”. It is worth a try, though I am far more likely to reorder the Smoky Martini I started with. Overall, we found all our drinks above average. Add this place to the quality cocktails circuit…
Great review. I’m looking forward to putting this place into the rotation. I just hope it makes it. The Lucky Street strip is a killer.