The Grand Encounter: CLASSIC+MODERN with Takuma Watanabe 

Episode 2: Takuma Watanabe

The second episode of Grand Marnier’s exclusive mini-series, The Grand Encounter, we head south from Montreal to the Big Apple, where host Carina Soto Velasquez meets Takuma Watanabe for a conversation about everything from his earliest cocktail memories and the importance of tradition and classics in building contemporary drinks.

In this episode, modern+classic, Watanabe discusses the importance of classic drinks as an essential element for contemporary bartending, just like Grand Marnier combines past, present and future in its recipe. As Takuma remembers his upbringing: “Classics are very important to me: my father worked at an hotel bar in Japan and I used to drink their cocktails and feel like wow, this is history”.

Takuma is the well-known bartender and owner behind several beloved and awarded spots in NYC. His reputation, built through spotless hospitality and utmost attention to details, has earned him a spot on the coveted Top 50 list.

Check out the recipe for Takuma’s Orangetini cocktail, a Martini riff built around tea-infused gin and his love of the chocolate-covered orange snacks.