There is a new destination in Dubai for those who love cocktails as much as the city’s mild winter evenings: Netsu Bar, a cocktail bar inspired by Japanese culture. Located inside the newly opened Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, it introduces a drinking experience shaped by the imagery and drama of Kabuki theater.
Netsu Bar Debuts in Dubai
The atmosphere at the Mandarin Oriental Jumeira’s cocktail bar is defined straight away by a sort of stage curtain that reveals the print of a Kabuki actor. Everything else is deliberately understated, so as not to distract from Netsu Bar’s main source of inspiration. And when it comes to Japanese-style mixology, certain elements are a given: meticulous, almost ritual preparations that respect tradition while embracing contemporary techniques such as infusion and fermentation. The backbar leans heavily into Japan too, with sake, whisky, shochu and awamori, including a number of rare and hard-to-find labels.
A Kabuki-Inspired Menu
A Kabuki play is usually structured in five acts, sometimes three. For the sake of practicality (or perhaps as a deliberate artistic license), Netsu Bar’s drink list is arranged into four acts. The inspiration, however, remains firmly rooted in this classical form of Japanese theater. The four sections of the menu are Jo (序), Ha (破), Kyu (急) and Kiri (切): the prologue, the development, the climax and the conclusion, together forming a complete narrative arc.
Each act features four cocktails, two of which are alcohol-free. The prologue is marked by delicate flavours and understated elegance. One example is Reverberation of Koto, made with lemon-infused vodka, genmaicha (Japanese green tea), yuzushu (yuzu liqueur), pear and salted honey. On the non-alcoholic side, Silent Chord combines apricot, marigold, jasmine, verjus, yuzu, salted honey and a vapor of kombu seaweed.
Netsu Bar: From the Second to the Fourth Act
In the second act (Ha), the plot thickens with more intense, complex and sometimes contrasting flavours. Here you’ll find Echo of the Shamisen, which brings together Kyoto gin, white Port, junmai ginjo sake and pickles. Or Ghost Light, a cocktail inspired by the supernatural presence said to haunt the stage, made with bourbon, umeshu, Lapsang Souchong (Chinese black tea), coconut and an infusion of butterfly pea flowers.
The third act (Kyu) is where the drama reaches its peak. Accordingly, this section of the menu is home to the boldest, most full-throttle drinks. Midnight Hanamachi, for instance, mixes mezcal, coffee, pineapple, cardamom and straw smoke. The alcohol-free options are just as energetic: Moonlight Shadow blends Caribbean spices, charred pineapple and ginger soda.
Finally comes Kiri, the closing act—when tension eases and flavours soften. Among the options is The Final Bow, built with cognac, sherry, coffee, coffee liqueur, coconut and tonka beans, and Vanishing Light, where miso caramel and apple sweetness play against rye whiskey and amaro.
A Surprise Drink
The cocktail list ends with an off-program feature: the Kabuki Highball, described as “the purest expression of our craft.” It calls for precision and elegance, and combines chilled Japanese whisky, cascara sagrada, soda and citrus.
Images courtesy of Netsu Bar
