Famed Japanese bar Tokyo Confidential is taking over Rekōdo restaurant and vinyl bar at Barangaroo House for one night only on 1 May.

Tokyo Confidential, which opened in October 2023, was founded by Tom Egerton (sustainability champion and former bar manager of Sydney’s Eau de Vie) and Holly Graham (former academy chair for The World’s 50 Best Bars, number 9 on the 2023 Bar World 100 list).

Encouraged by house parties they threw at their own home in Hong Kong, Tokyo Confidential draws inspiration from a house party that gets suitably rowdy, serving up cocktails, bar bites and champagne as well as top-notch hospitality to create a home for everyone. 

Egerton and venue manager Sho Nomura will bring those vibes to Rekōdo for the night, curating a playlist of Tokyo Confidential cocktails and tunes played by Rekōdo’s resident vinyl DJs. There are four Tokyo Confidential cocktails on rotation for the night including the herbal, punchy and aromatic Tea Sea (Bombay Sapphire Gin, Savvy B wine, tropical green tea, grappa, and smoky salt); the tropical Tokyo Banana Colada (Angel’s Envy Bourbon, banana, coconut, pineapple, and umami); the refreshing, bright and floral Glass Slipper (Bacardi Carta Blanca, Yuzu Shu, pandan, fresh melon, which is carbonated); and the layered, complex, and rich Cheung Fun Old Fashioned (Angel’s Envy Bourbon, peanut and sesame, soy caramel, orange, and bitters).

“It’s exciting to be able to bring our brand of hospitality to Sydney and share it with guests, to really try and bring some of Tokyo with us. We aren’t the typical Japanese bar people may be expecting and I think being able to bring something different for them to experience,” said Egerton.

“Listening bars in Tokyo are often quite a reserved affair, where any raised voices will often get you shushed by the attendants so you don’t impact the listening experience for other guests. Tokyo Confidential is the opposite, where loud is encouraged for guests and music – we are a modern cocktail bar in Japan and I think that energy will translate well to Rekōdo. Our guiding philosophy is that we are so incoherent we are coherent – we think that Rekōdo will definitely fit with our vibe!”

Learn more about the event here.