On the heels of recent industry recognition including #90 on the inaugural North America’s 50 Best Bars 51-100 list and one PIN from The Pinnacle Guide, Shinji’s announces its next cocktail menu, marking the most significant transformation since the bar’s opening. Celebrated for its boundary-pushing techniques and transportive drinking experiences, Shinji’s latest offering features 24 innovative cocktails, thoughtfully categorized by flavor profile and style.
A playful nod to Shinji’s avant garde-spirit, the menu starts with Experimental Shots, featuring the Frozen M&M and the Hot Cold Toddy, a continuation from the previous menu which is presented at two drastically different temperatures simultaneously, giving guests a surprising sensation of two opposing experiences in one glass.
Recognizing the growing demand for more mindful consumption, the menu places a strong emphasis on Zero and Low-ABV cocktails. Highlights include Not a Martini, a refined, booze-free version of the classic with Seedlip Grove and a blend of botanicals to mimic traditional martini flavors and the Green Jacket, a light and refreshing low-ABV drink combining bright citrussy and floral flavors such as St. Germain, Dicapri Limoncello, Fino Sherry, Prima Pave Blanc de Blancs, lemon verbena and Matcha.
From there, the menu explores a spectrum of taste — from Citrusy and Clean to Spiced and Complex, and closes with a selection of dessert-inspired cocktails. Among the most daring offerings is the Savory and Spirited section, a showcase of culinary-driven cocktails that blur the lines between food and drink. “If we’re doing a drink inspired by food, it doesn’t just taste like that food – it incorporates the actual ingredients into the prep,” says Beverage Director Jonathan Adler. This is exemplified by the Karaage, a cocktail highlighting sustainability by weaving different elements of chicken into the drink in different ways such as fat-washing the tequila and creating a chicken skin cracker for the garnish. “The Old Fashioned-style drink is savory and tastes like fried chicken but not in a way that is too overwhelming,” adds Adler.
Attention to detail continues with Shinji’s elevated garnishing techniques. “We’re spending nearly as much time on our garnishes as we are on our drinks,” notes Adler. For example, the Middle Ground is a cross between a Negroni and a Sazerac using the flavors of beet greens, licorice and mushroom, we’re then repurposing the actual beet to make a garnish which looks and tastes like a Twizzler, but is composed of beetroot. Meanwhile, the Undead Hemingway merges a Hemingway Daiquiri with a Zombie, combining grapefruit zest and cinnamon-infused spirit with an oolong and freeze-dried lingonberry tea. It’s topped with a spoonful of grapefruit frozen in liquid nitrogen and dusted with powdered lingonberry — a visually striking and flavor-forward finale.
Much-loved favorites from the previous menu remain on offer such as the Tropicana, a play off the classic screwdriver cocktail with vodka and house-made orange liqueur served inside of a frozen orange, the Latte Martini, a luxurious twist on an Espresso Martini with Ron Zacapa No. 23 Rum, Mr. Black, Madeira, coffee, soy milk and Okinawan brown sugar, and the Shinji’s Gin Fizz, the bar’s take on a Ramos, miraculously shaken to perfection for just five seconds thanks to complex prep work behind the scenes.
The drinks are accompanied by a selection of bites from Michelin-starred noda, including the indulgent house potato chips poached in dashi, served with Japanese ranch and an optional serving of Caviar; sharing-friendly plates such as the truffle cheese coast with umami butter and raclette and shrimp sando served on milk bread with poached shrimp and Togarashi shrimp mayonnaise. The signature tableside handroll service remains on offer, with fresh fish flown in from Japan including bluefin tuna, wild salmon, Hokkaido uni and more.
