Boutique hotel UNWIND HOTEL & BAR Otaru, in Otaru, Hokkaido, treats the hotel itself as a hub for culture and information, sharing the region's appeal through its own lens. As part of that effort, the hotel's lobby bar, Bar Ignis Otaru, is holding a gin fair called "Kita no Shubun – Bar Ignis Otaru –" (北の秋分 - Bar Ignis 小樽 -) from September 19 (Saturday) to September 23 (Wednesday), 2026 — during Japan's Silver Week holiday stretch — inviting guests to savor Hokkaido's short autumn in the bar's atmospheric space through a cocktail pairing experience.
The fair puts the spotlight on gin, a spirit that has been drawing growing interest in recent years, especially among younger drinkers. Four cocktails, each finished one at a time by the bartenders, are made with distinctive craft gins from Benizakura Distillery — Hokkaido's first distillery dedicated to craft gin — and served alongside three pairing dishes.
On the fair's opening day, September 19, Benizakura Distillery's distiller will visit the bar to share stories from behind the gin-making process and talk about the Hokkaido botanicals used in it. Guests will also get the chance to pick up and smell the Hokkaido-grown herbs that give the featured gins their main flavor notes, for a closer look at what goes into each bottle.
The bar welcomes guests who aren't staying at the hotel, making it a fitting stop while sightseeing in Otaru or for winding down the day with family, friends, or someone special as Hokkaido's autumn begins.
Fair Overview: "Kita no Shubun – Bar Ignis Otaru –"
Dates: September 19 (Saturday) to September 23 (Wednesday), 2026, 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM (last order 11:00 PM)
Location: UNWIND HOTEL & BAR Otaru, 1F, Bar Ignis Otaru
Notes: Open to non-guests; no dress code
Reservations: Not required
A Lobby Bar That Welcomes Bar Beginners
Bar Ignis Otaru sits on the same floor as the hotel's front desk and restaurant, in an open layout with no door separating it from the rest of the space. Guests who don't usually go to bars, or who are stepping into a hotel bar for the first time, have said they appreciate how easy it is to drop in — and both hotel guests and outside visitors can enjoy a special, out-of-the-ordinary moment there.
The space also serves as the venue for "UNWIND GALLERY," which exhibits work by artists with ties to Hokkaido, so it doubles as a spot to pause and take in some art.
The bar's drink menu includes a wide selection of gin, wine, whisky, and more, along with well-crafted non-alcoholic cocktails for guests who don't drink, plus shime-parfait, a Hokkaido tradition of capping off the night with a sweet parfait.
At the counter, guests can chat with the bartender and watch the cocktails being made under the bar's distinctive back-shelf lighting, or settle into a sofa seat — which fits up to four — for an unhurried conversation with company. However guests choose to spend their time, Bar Ignis Otaru offers its own kind of bar experience.
Location: UNWIND HOTEL & BAR Otaru, 1st floor
Hours: Open year-round, 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM (last order 11:00 PM)
Limited-Edition Autumn Cocktails
All four cocktails use craft gin from Benizakura Distillery, made with a generous helping of Hokkaido botanicals. Gin cocktails often bring to mind a simple gin and tonic, but here Bar Ignis Otaru's bartenders have created four easy-drinking, colorful cocktails inspired by autumn foliage — ranging from drinks that capture the feel of Hokkaido's autumn and its regional botanicals to one built around a summer that felt shorter than usual this year.
Pricing: Gin fair cocktails, ¥1,500 each (tax included); pairing set (one cocktail + one pairing dish), ¥2,000 (tax included)
Aromatic Gin Buck (9148 #3891 BENIZAKURA)
Made with "#3891 BENIZAKURA," an autumn-only craft gin built around the maple leaves and plants of Benizakura Park, where the distillery is based. The gin centers on the park's maple leaves along with ten botanicals that evoke a Sapporo autumn and the savory depth of Hidaka kelp, rounded out in this cocktail with a gentle tartness from rhubarb and plum plus ginger beer spice.
Herbal Gin Tonic (9148 #0101 STANDARD)
Made with "#0101 STANDARD," Benizakura Distillery's flagship gin. This dry gin leans into juniper, the spirit's core botanical, and carries the well-balanced savoriness and sweetness of Hidaka kelp, dried shiitake, and dried daikon strips that define the 9148 series. Herbal aromas centered on coriander come through, with sansho pepper and shiso adding a light accent, finishing with a lingering note of kelp umami.
Floral Gin Tonic (9148 #1922 SAPPORO)
Named for 1922, the year Sapporo was incorporated as a city, "#1922 SAPPORO" is a refreshing gin built on ten botanicals gathered from Sapporo's ten wards along with lilac, Sapporo's flower. This cocktail balances that base with lavender, a dessert-like sweetness, rhubarb's tartness, and a gentle bitterness from cacao and tonic water.
Earthy Gin Fizz (9148 #1925 HOPS)
A cocktail built around this year's Hokkaido summer, which felt shorter than usual. Made with "#1925 HOPS," a craft gin using a generous amount of hops grown in Kamifurano, Hokkaido. Floral hop aromas and a crisp green edge meet notes of pineapple and coffee, with a light chili kick adding depth.
Pairing Food Menu
For pairing dishes, hotel restaurant The Ball Otaru has created three dishes exclusively for this event, each with a Chinese-inspired touch. Enjoy them alongside the cocktails for a lingering taste of autumn.
Pricing: Gin fair pairing dishes, ¥700 each (tax included); pairing set (one cocktail + one pairing dish), ¥2,000 (tax included)
Dishes are available in limited quantities and may sell out.
Chilled Fried Chicken with Osmanthus Fragrance
Bite-sized fried chicken tossed in a cold sauce of guihua jiang — sweet osmanthus petals simmered down — and Shaoxing wine, a dish meant to be enjoyed for its aroma as much as its flavor. The recommended pairing is the Earthy Gin Fizz (9148 #1925 HOPS): its violet and citrus notes, layered with chili and pineapple, plus the hop's bitterness and earthy character, tie the pairing together.
House-Made Chicken Ham, Yodare-Style
House-made chicken ham with cucumber seasoned in salted kelp, served with a rich sauce simmered with star anise, cinnamon, dried tangerine peel, peanuts, and sansho pepper. It's paired with the Aromatic Gin Buck (9148 #3891 BENIZAKURA), a cocktail with notes of plum and shiso alongside a tannin-like dryness reminiscent of red wine, for a clean, refreshing combination.
Smoked Daikon Pickle and Sichuan Pepper Cream Cheese
Rich cream cheese scented with Sichuan pepper, tossed with diced iburigakko (smoked pickled daikon). Paired with the Herbal Gin Tonic (9148 #0101 STANDARD), whose bright herbal aroma and umami bring out the cream cheese's richness along with the smoky, peppery notes of the dish.
Otaru's Shime-Parfait Tradition, Bar Ignis Style
Capping off a meal or a night of drinks with a sweet parfait — known as shime-parfait — is a beloved custom in Hokkaido, and Bar Ignis Otaru carries it on with two options: the year-round Chai and Apple Parfait and a seasonal parfait that changes throughout the year. Hotel guests and visitors enjoying a meal or drinks in Otaru alike often turn to it when they want to linger a little longer or end the evening on a sweet note.
From September 24 (Thursday) through November 30 (Monday), 2026 — deep into the autumn season — the seasonal parfait becomes the Hojicha Tiramisu Parfait. Diced sponge cake is soaked in cold-brew coffee and Marsala wine, then topped with house-made hojicha mascarpone cream, ice cream, chestnut yokan, and warabi mochi, and finished with a dusting of cocoa powder for a Japanese-style take on tiramisu. Pair it with your choice of shime-parfait for a sweet close to a deep autumn evening.
About Benizakura Distillery
Located inside Benizakura Park in the southern part of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Benizakura Distillery is Hokkaido's first distillery dedicated to craft gin. Using a 400-liter still made by Italy's Barison and combining natural spring water from Sapporo's Minami Ward with Hokkaido botanicals gathered through the seasons, the distillery makes craft gin shaped by the character of the land.
Its "9148" series has picked up awards at competitions around the world, starting with the standard recipe "#0101," built around the umami of Hokkaido botanicals like Hidaka kelp, dried daikon, and shiitake, and extending into a varied lineup that brings in seasonal botanicals.
Official site: https://www.hlwhisky.co.jp/
About UNWIND HOTEL & BAR Otaru
Built in 1931 as Hokkaido's first hotel exclusively for foreign guests, the building started out as the Ecchūya Hotel (旧越中屋ホテル). During the war it served as an officers' club for the Imperial Japanese Army, and afterward it was requisitioned by the U.S. military — a history that led to its designation as an Otaru City historical building and its inclusion in Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry list of 33 modernization industrial heritage sites (近代化産業遺産群33). After years of vacancy, the building underwent a bold renovation and reopened as a boutique hotel that pairs its historic character and architectural charm with a contemporary sensibility. The hotel describes its mission as creating organic exchange between the local community and travelers, serving as a kind of media connecting the two while honoring what has been passed down from the past.
Facility name: UNWIND HOTEL & BAR Otaru
Address: 1-8-25 Ironai, Otaru, Hokkaido
Access: About 35 minutes from Sapporo Station to Otaru Station via the JR Hakodate Main Line, then a 10-minute walk from Otaru Station to the hotel
Website: https://www.livelyhotels.com/unwindotaru
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwind_hotel_otaru
