Mizu shobai is a fickle business at best. And these troubled economic times tend to heighten the sense of risk. So when I first heard of a plot to hatch a fun and funky martini lounge on a quiet back street in Roppongi, it struck me as downright dangerous. As I sipped a classic 007 at the opening of G Martini's, as it was christened, I found myself plea-bargaining with God to please, please let this one survive (I offered Gas Panic in its stead). Eight months later, it is not only still alive but thriving. Amen.

G Martini's wasn't exactly born with a business plan -- it evolved. Grant (Grant-oh) Buchwald, G Martini's frontman, had been quietly developing his small but successful Tokyo-based video production company for the best part of 10 years. Little did he know that accepting an invitation to a friend's wedding in San Francisco would change his life. The bride's family, it transpired, were friends of Bing Crosby. One night, when the party converged at Bing's place, Grant-oh learned of the entertainer's passion for two things: martinis and hats. Grant-oh was hooked on both counts.

"It was great -- singing along to Bing's records, trying on his hats and sipping martinis," Grant-oh recalls. "As soon as I got back to Tokyo, I started throwing martini parties at home." But it wasn't long before Grant-oh needed more space -- and help. "I was getting sick of cleaning up the mess," he confides. And that's when Grant-oh's party plan took an evolutionary leap.