Mixologist Masahiro Urushido from New York City Bar, Katana Kitten, Bring Japanese Flair to Vancouver’s Fairmont Pacific Rim 

The Three-Night Pop Up from Katana Kitten will Include a Custom Cocktail Tasting Menu at Botanist and Japanese Bites and Drinks at The Lobby Lounge & RawBar 

 For three nights only, New York City’s beloved World’s 50 Best cocktail bar Katana Kitten is heading to Vancouver. Led by internationally renowned owner and mixologist Masahiro Urushido, Katana Kitten will pop up at Vancouver’s premier luxury hotel Fairmont Pacific Rim, creating a specialty menu at both of the hotel’s exquisite restaurants: Botanist and The Lobby Lounge & RawBar. For more on drinks check out Drinks on GLV.

“I’m honoured to bring Katana Kitten to Vancouver, and to work alongside some of the industry’s brightest stars at both Botanist and The Lobby Lounge & RawBar,” says Urushido. “I’ve always been inspired by coastal flavours, so I’m excited to play with the stellar ingredients available in this beautiful city.”

Kicking off on April 20, Urushido will collaborate with the all-star Botanist team, led by Head Bartender Jeff Savage and Executive Chef Hector Laguna, to create a unique, four-course cocktail pairing menu, available for one night. The dinner will include two seatings as a ticketed event, beginning with a welcome drink of Lemon Daiginjo (Fords Officers’ Reserve, lemon, sake) to open the palate. 

Following the cocktail pairing menu at Botanist, on April 21 and 22, Urushido and the Katana Kitten team will serve a custom menu with Fairmont Pacific Rim’s Executive Chef Damon Campbell and Creative Beverage Director Grant Sceney in the Lobby Lounge & RawBar. The Katana Kitten menu will be available in The Lobby Lounge & RawBar for a full month following the pop-up.

“We are thrilled to welcome the Katana Kitten team to Fairmont Pacific Rim,” says Jason Cisneros, Director of Food & Beverage at Fairmont Pacific Rim. “At Botanist and The Lobby Lounge & RawBar, our goal is to continually offer our guests and visitors an exciting and truly unique experience, and this special pop-up is a perfect example of that.”

The cocktail tasting experience in Botanist will include pairings such as:

• Taishi (Woodford Reserve, Oloroso Sherry, red miso caramel, hojicha, xocolatl) paired with Slow Roasted Maitake (bonito, red miso and shiso)
• Watini (Fords Gin, vermouth, ao-togarashi, koji, green yuzu) paired with Grilled Japanese Wagyu (teriyaki and eggplant)
• Nihonzaru (Herradura Reposado, roasted pineapple, sencha tea, buzz button, coconut, lime, clarified milk) paired with Yuzu Meringue Tart (crème fraîche, yuzu ice cream, black sesame crumble, graham pâte sablée)

The Lobby Lounge & RawBar will offer a selection of cocktails and bites, such as:

• Amaretto Sour (Woodford Reserve Rye, amaretto, umeboshi, honey, lemon, egg white, and yukari)
• Pacific Punch (Havana Club 3-year-old rum, sencha, mint tea, yuzu, ginger, lemon, thyme)
• Crispy Furikake Chicken (tamari mirin glaze)
• Chilled Dungeness Crab (yuzu kosho, shiso powder)

The full menu for the cocktail tasting experience at Botanist is available to view here and reservations can be made here for the 5:30 p.m. seating, and here for the 9:00 p.m. seating. 

About Fairmont Pacific Rim

Fairmont Pacific Rim – Vancouver’s definitive luxury hotel – rated the World’s Best Business Hotel by Condé Nast Traveler readers and awarded the coveted Forbes Travel Guide Five Star and AAA Five Diamond Rating. This ultramodern downtown hotel offers unobstructed mountain and harbor views, combining the best of the Pacific Rim in its architecture and décor. The hotel features two award-winning dining destinations, resort-style Willow Stream Spa, rooftop and pool sundeck, and guestrooms with lavish appointments, including a variety of the city’s most luxurious suites. The property has two exquisite restaurants, Botanist and The Lobby Lounge & RawBar. 

About Katana Kitten

Katana Kitten combines the precision, craft and whimsy of Tokyo’s bars and izakayas with the welcoming hospitality of a New York neighbourhood watering hole. Masahiro Urushido spearheads the bar’s cocktail and culinary programs and splits his time between shifts behind the bar and hosting guests with his signature megawatt smile and outgoing personality. In 2019, Katana Kitten was awarded the titles of Best New American Cocktail Bar by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation and by the World’s 50 Best Bars landed at number 10 in the World’s 50 Best Bars annual ranking in 2021.