Kenny Colvin, 44, is the loquacious and warmhearted owner of Sanita, a cocktail bar in Tokyo’s Hatagaya neighborhood that opened in 2020. A born and bred New Yorker, he worked in hospitality consulting before moving to Tokyo in 2017.
1. What brought you to Tokyo? I was working with this Australian restaurant group, doing their design and branding, and created a concept for them that got popular in Australia. (A Japanese friend) said to take it to Tokyo — because “Japanese people love sweets, cool branding and waiting in line.”
2. How long have you been in the cocktail business? Since 2007, when high-end cocktails were becoming popular in New York. I started doing letterpress printing for (several bars), and then more branding and design work. That’s kind of what led me into the cocktail world.
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