Cognac with cheese? Vodka infused with foie gras? Discover the unexpected at Dinogo Bar.

As Shuzo Nagumo slides a martini glass across the bar, the scent of sandalwood fills the air, emanating from a plastic bag of smoke wrapped around the glass stem. This is Nagumo’s signature drink: a foie gras-infused vodka chocolate martini.

At his Mixology Experience bar in Tokyo's trendy Roppongi district, 36-year-old master mixologist Shuzo Nagumo is renowned for his daring flavor combinations and visually striking presentations.

“I experiment with every ingredient I can imagine,” Nagumo shares with Dinogo Travel. “It’s not just about spices, but also scents and foods you’d never expect to transform into liquids.”

From wasabi vodka and basil gin to blue cheese cognac, Nagumo has crafted some wild spirits for adventurous cocktails like the bacon-infused ‘Breakfast’ and the tangy, spicy ‘Tom Yum,’ inspired by the traditional Thai soup.

Introducing the mastermind behind the bar.

With his messy black hair, oversized glasses, and a sharp black tuxedo, Nagumo resembles a mad scientist more than a bartender.

At just 18, Nagumo began his journey in the food and beverage world, taking a part-time job at a bar in his hometown of Okayama.

Three years later, a book titled ‘Cool Cocktails’ by celebrated bartender Ben Reed changed Nagumo’s approach to mixology, inspiring him with innovative fruit and herb-infused drinks like strawberry and chocolate martinis.

In 2006, driven by a thirst for knowledge, Nagumo moved to London, where he immersed himself in molecular gastronomy at Nobu, the prestigious international Japanese restaurant.

At Nobu, Nagumo was introduced to advanced culinary techniques like diffusion and dehydration, but his true passion lay not in cooking – but in crafting cocktails.

He returned to Tokyo the following year, and in 2009, opened his first bar, Code Name Mixology.

The hidden ingredient behind his success.

Fast forward eight years, and Nagumo now runs four cocktail bars, each dedicated to the art of innovative mixology.

Each of his bars is equipped with cutting-edge tools, including a rotary evaporator, a depressurizing distiller, cyclone separator, dehydrator, vacuum sealer, and an automated beer-brewing machine. Nagumo believes these high-tech gadgets allow him to extract the essence of almost any ingredient – except, perhaps, raw fish.

Nagumo compares his cocktail creation process to that of an experimental chef reimagining a classic dish.

“It’s a mix of hypothesis, imagination, and maybe even fantasy – I focus on how I can bring the flavor to life, using tools like the depressurizing distiller or vacuum,” he explains.

By 'cooking cocktails,' Nagumo transforms a meal into a drink, capturing the essence of a dining experience in a glass.

Take his ‘Breakfast’ cocktail, for example. To recreate a hearty American breakfast in liquid form, Nagumo starts by infusing vodka with smoked bacon, then adds egg, salt, and a subtle hint of corn.

“The result is oddly reminiscent of an actual meal,” he reflects.

The world’s most luxurious vodka.

Foie gras, blue cheese, wasabi – Nagumo experiments with bold, unconventional flavors that surprisingly work well when turned into liquid form.

The best cocktails, he says, come from foods with a strong aroma that can be captured during the distillation process.

“Ingredients without a distinct scent are easily overpowered by the alcohol’s strong taste, resulting in an unbalanced drink… they leave no trace of flavor after distillation,” he explains.

“When foie gras is grilled, it releases a wonderful aroma. That scent made me think it would be perfect for distillation,” he says.

According to Nagumo, the scent elements in fat are easily vaporized by heat. While foie gras itself doesn’t have a strong aroma, its rich fattiness allows the scent to transfer beautifully into alcohol during the distillation process.

Nagumo combined foie gras with vodka, placed the mixture into a depressurizing distiller, and waited 35 minutes as it transformed into a uniquely flavored spirit.

“We tried it, and the result was a huge success,” he recalls.