The Cluriaune
Take the one-gallon Challenge at this new Kabukicho pub

Courtesy of The Cluriaune

Happiness is served by the gallon.

That’s the life lesson we took away from a recent night at The Cluriaune, where four Metropolis staffers attempted to take the unfortunately named Irish Car Bomb to new levels. Normally concocted by dropping one shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream into an unsuspecting pint glass of Guinness, the drink is the ultimate way to start an evening.

Or, at least it used to be.

Everything changed after we attended the opening party of this otherwise unremarkable new “pub” in Kabukicho. For being in one of the grittiest parts of the city, this would be one sterile watering hole—if not for the exceedingly large Guinness and Leffe glasses on the bar.

We enjoyed ourselves at the reception, tasting items from the menu like pizza margherita (¥700), various cheeses (¥400 each) and fish ‘n’ chips (¥500), but something in our subconscious mind was a-brewing, only to reveal itself over lunch the following week: “If that glass holds a gallon of Guinness… that’d make one hell of a Car Bomb.” And thus the dream was born.

The following Friday, we gathered the troops and headed for Shinjuku, with cameras galore and butterflies in the gut. Fortunately, the best way to off those winged harbingers of defeat is with 4.5 percent stout.

After arriving at the bar and securing a raised circular table, we surveyed the scene: a few small groups of Japanese office workers. The corkboard near the elevator door (which is also the entrance and exit) was bare except for a few Polaroids taken of customers in the week since the opening party. The stagnant atmosphere definitely needed to be kicked up a notch.

Our four-person team approached the genial bartender, who smiled broadly when we pointed to the gallon glass, still sitting invitingly on the counter. To her credit, she didn’t balk then, nor when we asked for Bailey’s in a pint glass. When the bottle emptied halfway through, an eager staff member rushed out the door (into the elevator), to return in a few minutes with a fresh supply. With both drinks ready, we dropped the Bailey’s, watched for a brief second as the two became one—and commenced the Metropolis Car Bomb Challenge.

Two minutes and 43 seconds later, with the once-quiet bar patrons now excitedly gathered round and joining in the frenzy, the glass was empty, high-fives were exchanged, and it was time to party.

5F 103 Bldg, 1-14-3 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku. Tel: 03-5287-2908. Open daily 5pm-5am. Nearest stn: Shinjuku, east exit. www.0352872908.com

Want to see it all go down?

Visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UBi53uti6M keep the dream alive by taking the Metropolis Car Bomb Challenge yourself (¥10,000 until October; ¥12,000 after) and posting your video response. Bottoms up!

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