Lounge & Bar Old Saloon 1934 in Sapporo

Sometimes you just need a little reminder of what you like to drink. Living abroad in Japan comes with its trade-offs. Unfortunately nothing is ever perfect and there are times where one can be homesick. I always enjoyed drinking.

I drank a lot in college. I toned it down a bit with the goal of exercising and staying healthy, but I still wanted to enjoy drinking, albeit laying off of the rage cage, Edward 40 hands, and power hours a bit. One of my favorite drinks to date has been the Old Fashioned.

Sure it seems easy to make if you glance at the recipe. All one really needs is just the right ingredients, but that's where the difficulty in living abroad comes in. Access to said ingredients are not always easy and sometimes I just splurge on the high end bars just so I can get one decent drink that tastes great in while I'm out.

The Old Fashioned

Liquor.com suggests that it should be made with the following:

1 teaspoon of sugar

3 dashes of Agnostura Bitters

1 teaspoon of water

2 ounces of bourbon or rye whiskey

An orange garnish

I was pleasantly surprised after trying one from Lounge & Bar Old Saloon 1934. The decor reminds me of an early 20th century jazz lounge. Though there isn't always a band playing, people are talking with each at the tables and it's a warm and pleasant place to be. According to certain reviews on Google, there is a フリーヴルプラン or furibure plan, which is allows you to choose different cocktails you wanted to drink with some appetizers and it was around 円4,400. If you can drink well, you might be able to drink about six different spirits before time runs out.

The atmosphere is a bit upscale and I did feel a bit underdressed in my plaid shirt, jeans, and timberland boots. It's on the ground level of a hotel, which is probably why it's a bit more high end. They eventually started playing live jazz music with pianist who was accompanied by a guitarist. They sounded great. The staff was very courteous, asked to take my jacket to hang up and was polite all the way through. I just stopped in for a drink before heading out, but I'll be back next time for the フリーヴルプラン. Go check it out if you are in Sapporo and you are craving something that is reasonable, but still nice. Thanks Lounge & Bar Old Saloon 1934. I will be back!

Directions:

Take the subway to Odori Station. It will be about a 5 minute walk from the The Tozai Line or the Namboku Line. You can take exit 7 or 8 depending on construction or whichever one is open. If you just want to take the JR Yamanote Line, it will be about an 8 minute walk. It's in the same building as the Sapporo Grand Hotel.