Presented in partnership with the House of Suntory.

When you step into Sydney’s Sakura House this month, you’ll be stepping into the world of the House of Suntory.

All through September and until October 3rd, the bar has been transformed into Suntory House. Now in its final weeks, this is your last chance to try some very smart drinks.

“Suntory is an incredible brand, which showcases so many Japanese and American products, and currently taking over Sakura House,” says Kalisha Glover, the creative lead at Sakura House. “We’re working in partnership with them to showcase their product range, their drinks and creating incredible experiences with those.”

Suntory House, as the collaboration is called, is something of a showcase for the esteemed Japanese company, a celebration of their focus on tradition and innovation — and a delicious way to taste across their portfolio.

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And it is also an opportunity for them to showcase what makes House of Suntory unique, says House of Suntory ambassador Natalie Ng.

“What makes House of Suntory different is that these aren’t just marketing or buzz words, they genuinely influence the way we think and work every day,” says Ng. “There are three philosophies that we uphold continuously: Wa, Monozukuri and Omotenashi.

“Wa is about harmony and balance, and I see that in the way we work together and build connections with others.

“Monozukuri is the spirit of craftsmanship and the constant pursuit of excellence. As a BA, I really connect with that because it encourages me to keep learning, pay attention to the details and always look for ways to improve through what we call a kaizen mentality.

“And Omotenashi is about thoughtful hospitality, anticipating what someone needs and creating an experience that feels genuine and considered.”

There’s a reason that they’ve chosen to work Sakura House for this period — there’s a lot in the way Glover and her team work that is of a similar mindset to the way the House of Suntory does things, and the idea of monozukuri is a big part of it, she says.

“[It] is the art of striving for perfection even if you may never reach it,” says Glover. “And we really embody and showcase that in our cocktail menu as well. Every time we make a drink, it involves a really long process of trial and error, of R&D, until we get exactly the flavours that we want.

“Through research and learning — [and having] that kaizen mentality that Suntory also believes in — we can strive for perfection.

“It is this idea that we should always be striving to be better, to learn new things and that’s really important to our team as well. I’m always encouraging the team to go out and and become better through however means they can.”

House of Suntory ambassador Natalie Ng. Photo: Supplied

Take a look at the recipes from Sakura House below, and you’ll see that they combine a respect for tradition (the classic Highball, say) with a forward-looking approach to innovation (the Matcha Point is a great example). That is one more thing Sakura House shares with the House of Suntory.

“At House of Suntory, I think tradition and innovation go hand in hand,” says Ng. “We have such a deep respect for Japanese craftsmanship, heritage and attention to detail, while also having a strong spirit of curiosity and a willingness to challenge what’s possible.

“One of our key philosophies that really captures this is Yatte Minahare, the embodiment of dreaming big and having the courage to take on new challenges. It’s about respecting the foundations that have been built over generations, while continuing to evolve and push boundaries.

“For me, that balance is what makes House of Suntory so distinctive. We honour the past, but we’re never afraid to look forward, experiment and create something new.”

Get a look at the recipes below.