Stepping into Maduro feels like entering a hidden world. Tucked away on the fourth floor of Grand Hyatt Tokyo in Roppongi Hills, the jazz lounge and music bar is a chic destination to listen to live music, with comfy leather sofas, flickering gas lanterns and elegantly handcrafted glass partitions.
It’s run by Vincenzo Miliano, a 15-year veteran of the industry who was born in the UK and raised in New York. He describes Maduro as “an anachronistic place that is warm and inviting yet also feels elite and tucked away” — the kind of place you might see in Tokyo noir films from the 1950s and 60s. “There’s a nostalgic, bygone era vibe, and it hasn’t really changed since opening 23 years ago,” he says. “Despite that, it still looks very modern and feels fresh, like a lounge that’s just opened.”
Miliano took over Maduro in 2025 after building his skillset at a diverse range of properties across the US, including The Langham, New York, Fifth Avenue; the Waldorf Astoria Chicago; and the Conrad Los Angeles, where he was awarded the CEO Light & Warmth Award, Hilton’s highest global honor.
At Maduro, Miliano has been instrumental in the bar’s shift toward a low-waste, flavor-driven program, focusing on the use of whole ingredients, such as peels, stems and pulp, rather than just the juice or fruit. Utilizing this root-to-tip approach, he’s able to create cocktails that are layered, not flattened, with flavors that take turns to speak, rather than all shouting at once.
Below, some offerings from the menu he oversees.
Must-Try Cocktails at Maduro
Kuro Negroni
Overview
This two-rum Negroni is lightly sweetened with kuromitsu (Okinawan black sugar syrup) and balanced with Italian bitter components: Cynar and Punt e Mes. One of the rums is infused with banana peel.
Overall Impression
A balanced yet adventurous take on a classic, this spirit-forward cocktail is bold and complex with a deep flavor profile. The sweetness of the syrup gives the drink a lift, while the banana peel offers a note of quiet nostalgia without overpowering fruit flavors.
Clearly Strawberry
Overview
Denki Bran is an amber-hued, brandy-based Japanese liqueur from the Meiji era, composed of a closely guarded blend of gin, wine, vermouth and herbs. In this drink, it’s infused with strawberries and served with soda water.
Overall Impression
The strawberry ingredients transform and lift up this often-overlooked, quite harsh spirit into something bright, clean and contemporary. It’s a light and refreshing take on a drink that is seen as a bit of a relic for old guys, bringing it into a new era.
Soshun Martini (Early Spring Martini)
Overview
This split-based martini is created using Japanese Roku gin, junmai daiginjo sake, Cocchi Americano and a touch of mugi (barley) hydrosol.
Overall Impression
Dangerously smooth, it’s clean, aromatic and restrained, with a velvety texture and a soft grain note that anticipates the warmer months ahead, hence the name. Served cold and direct, it’s finished with a fine kombu-lemon mineral salt.
Morning Dashi (Off Menu)
Overview
This dark rum Negroni-style cocktail is infused with spent coffee grounds. It features a syrup made from Guinness and kombu dashi, Cynar and Punt e Mes and is finished with a house-made dashi olive.
Overall Impression
A rich and composed cocktail, the Morning Dashi sits somewhere between a Negroni and an espresso martini. Created using surplus Guinness, it has an unusual dessert-like quality, yet it somehow still tastes familiar. The olive softens the harsh edges and adds complexity and umami.
More Info
To learn more about Maduro, please click here.
