Austin Wood
Audio By Carbonatix
On Wednesday, April 22, North America’s 50 Best Bars of 2026 were announced, and Sip & Guzzle, one of New York City’s acclaimed spots for cocktails, was named the No. 1 bar on the list. (We have our own list local top bars, if you’re interested).
Sip & Guzzle opened in the West Village at the start of 2024, helmed by a trio of industry heavyweights: Asia-based Shingo Gokan, Employees Only veteran Steve Schneider and former head bartender at Double Chicken Please Ben Yabrow.
77 Samurai and a Long Journey
Two years is a short stint, but the bar’s concept is a culmination of history starting back in 1860, when the Japanese consulate, accompanied by 77 samurai, made its first voyage to the United States.
At the turn of the 20th century, the consulate frequented Jerry Thomas’ bar, a legendary watering hole on Broadway in New York City. In 1862, Thomas published a cocktail book called “How To Mix Drinks,” and in it, he shared the recipe for the cocktail he created for the Japanese diplomat, Tateishi Onojirou Noriyuki.
Head bartender Gokan imagined the kind of American bar the samurai would have opened after returning to Tokyo through his bar, The SG Club. It opened in 2018 and is a highly acclaimed cocktail destination in Shibuya.
Sip & Guzzle is the next chapter of this vision. It imagines if the samurai took everything they learned in New York, and the best of Tokyo, and combined both concepts under one roof.
Refined, Japanese-inspired cocktails with precision are served under Sip, while Guzzle is louder with bold highballs, beer and fun bar snacks. Something polished and experimental is experienced under one roof, and after the bar came in at No. 5 on North America’s 50 Best Bars list last year, this year it’s No. 1.
The Details
From Wednesday, April 29, to Saturday, May 2, the acclaimed New York destination for cocktails is bringing its award-winning programs to Fort Worth for a bar takeover at Bowie House, Auberge Collection (a favorite spot of Leon Bridges). It’s part of The Bar Series at Bowie House, and the limited-time residency will reimagine the signature experience from Sip & Guzzle, but with local touches.
On Saturday, May 2, Sam Morris, head of research and development at Sip & Guzzle, will be hosting an afternoon to share a glimpse of the ideas, influences and the evolution behind his work in the industry.
Tickets for this experience are $65 per person, before taxes and fees, and can be purchased in advance on Tock. The Sip & Guzzle experience at Bowie House will run from 4 p.m. to bar close, but we imagine getting there earlier rather than later is a good idea.
