SHI Hospitality Group celebrates Toki with Japanese whisky cocktails

The Japanese highball demands little and delivers much: whisky, soda water, ice and a moment of quiet reflection. This November, SHI Hospitality Group has centred a month long celebration around Toki, Suntory’s whisky crafted precisely for this ritual, with three specially composed menus across its venues.

The concept moves through what the group calls the Layers of Japan, beginning with First Light. Subtitled Clarity, this is the highball in its purest expression: Toki lengthened with soda and finished with bitters, a crisp and uncomplicated serve priced at AED 65. It is the foundation, the starting point from which the menu unfolds.

Orchard Mist, subtitled Nature, turns the whisky toward the garden. Toki meets pear, sunflower and pumpkin, with fresh basil lifting the blend before soda tops the glass. At AED 75, this is mixology as careful curation, each ingredient purposeful.

The final serve, Kobashi, represents Depth. Here the group introduces Toki Black, a limited edition release that has yet to arrive in the UAE. This expression combines Hakushu Peated whisky, which brings delicate smokiness, with Hakushu Grain whisky for richness, offering notes of baked apple, butterscotch, clove and toasted rosemary. In the glass it meets Mancino Rosso, soy, vinegar and roasted coffee, creating a savoury and bittersweet drink that rewards a slow sip. At AED 75, Kobashi demands contemplation.

The same three serves will pour at SHI on Bluewaters Island, MOLI by SHI at Dubai Hills Business Park, and MEI at Mina A’Salam, Madinat Jumeirah, throughout November. The menu is equally at home in a waterfront setting at dusk as it is in an intimate dining room or bustling metropolis. Each venue offers a different occasion to gather and linger with the same thoughtful selection. Reservations are available at each location through the first of December.

Imagery courtesy of SHI Hospitality Group.