Kyoto – When an already storied name in Tokyo’s cocktail scene opens up shop in the ancient capital, membership in the upper echelon of Kyoto’s nightlife landscape becomes an expedited affair.

When I visit Bar Trench Kyoto during Golden Week, I’m first greeted by a warm, atmospheric amber glow from the globe lamps inside the expansive front window of a 120-year-old machiya (traditional merchant townhouse). Located in the city’s Kawaramachi neighborhood, the structure presents a quintessential Kyoto-style view completed by the row of bicycles parked neatly out front.

Inside, near a wooden placard on the wall displaying the opening lyrics to Tom Waits’ “San Diego Serenade” (“I never saw my hometown until I stayed away too long / I never heard the melody until I needed the song”), head bartender Arthur Roberts serves me the perfectly spicy, citrusy Tender Talk, whose mezcal and Amaro Montenegro base is infused with yuzu and lemon, and to which he adds a spritz of smoky Laphroaig scotch.

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