Sip & Guzzle Chicago: North America’s No. 1 Bar Takes Over the Four Seasons’ Mile High Cocktail Club

New York’s Sip & Guzzle, named the No. 1 bar on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2026, arrives in Chicago on Thursday, October 15. Sip & Guzzle Chicago is a five-month residency inside the Mile High Cocktail Club, the candlelit speakeasy on the 46th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago in the Gold Coast. It runs Thursday through Sunday, 5 to 10 PM, through March 14, 2027, and every seat costs $85 for two curated cocktails from both sides of the Greenwich Village original.

That makes opening weekend, October 15 to 18, the night to book. The room holds only a few dozen guests, the hours close early by bar standards, and Time Out Chicago predicts it will be one of the city’s most coveted nightlife options this season. Reservations are open now on OpenTable.

What is Sip & Guzzle Chicago?

Sip & Guzzle Chicago is a limited residency that brings the full Sip & Guzzle cocktail program from New York to the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago for one season. The Four Seasons announced it on October 7 as the headline of its fall food and drink lineup, alongside a new menu at Adorn and the debut of Tasse, a lobby coffee bar.

In New York, Sip & Guzzle lives on two floors of 29 Cornelia Street. Downstairs, Sip is a quiet, Japanese-inspired room for precise, technique-driven cocktails. Upstairs, Guzzle is a loud, wood-paneled pub that pours playful versions of familiar drinks. The Chicago residency folds both personalities into one menu, so you can order one meticulous Sip and one easygoing Guzzle in the same sitting.

Executive Chef Isaac Leidenfrost, who leads the kitchen in New York, built a menu of bar bites to match. At Cornelia Street, his food is a big part of the draw: think a binchotan-smoked A5 Wagyu burger, crispy black garlic chicken, and a Wagyu sandwich served in a golden box.

Who is behind Sip & Guzzle?

Sip & Guzzle comes from bartenders Shingo Gokan and Steve Schneider, with operating partner Justin Weitz. Gokan is one of the most decorated bartenders in the world, best known for The SG Club in Tokyo, which ranked No. 10 on The World’s 50 Best Bars in 2020. Schneider made his name at the legendary Employees Only in New York and later in Singapore. The two call themselves the Odd Couple, and both landed on Drinks International’s Bar World 100 list of the industry’s most influential figures this year.

Their New York bar opened in 2024 and climbed fast. It won Best New Opening at The World’s 50 Best Bars in 2025, ranked No. 39 in the world that year, collected two Spirited Awards at Tales of the Cocktail, and then took the top spot in North America in 2026. The concept, in the team’s own words, blends Tokyo izakaya energy with classic New York hospitality: serious technique, zero stiffness.

What is on the Sip & Guzzle Chicago menu?

The Chicago menu features three Sips and three Guzzles, and your $85 covers any two. The menu rotates, so expect changes over the five months.

The Sips, built with Sip’s precision:

• Drunk Grandma’s Apple Pie. A fall favorite in New York, where Sip makes it with Calvados, baked apple, brown butter and egg white. It tastes like dessert in a coupe.
• Dirty Mango. The tropical pick of the three, and the one to order if you like fruit with some edge.
• Tomato Tree. The savory pick, from a team that loves turning garden flavors into cocktails. In New York, Guzzle’s bright, savory Sun-Dried Daisy was “born somewhere between a farmers market and last call,” and the Tomato Tree should fit right in.

The Guzzles, built for fun:

• Mint 75. A minty spin on the French 75, crisp and bubbly.
• Rum & Cola. The bar’s take on a simple highball, polished until it feels new.
• Miami Vice Negroni. A Guzzle signature. In New York it pairs gin, Campari and sweet vermouth with strawberry and coconut, and the team says it has stayed the same since day one.

A smart move: order one from each column. You get the full picture of what made Sip & Guzzle the best bar on the continent, and the two drinks play off each other.

Where is the Mile High Cocktail Club?

The Mile High Cocktail Club is inside the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago at 120 E Delaware Place, just off Michigan Avenue in the Gold Coast. The hotel’s OpenTable listing describes the route: your night starts at the Adorn Bar on the 7th floor, where staff welcome you and guide you up to the 46th-floor lounge, which the hotel bills as the highest speakeasy in Chicago.

The lounge is a converted hotel suite. In past seasons, Four Seasons has described it as a room of plush banquettes, candlelight and a glowing bar with views over the Magnificent Mile, and the hotel says this season brings new decor, music and menu. Arrive before sunset on an early booking and you get the city turning gold from 46 floors up.

The room has a habit of hosting the best. Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy, ranked No. 1 in the world in 2024, held it for the last two seasons. Sip & Guzzle continues that run with the No. 1 bar in North America.

How do you book Sip & Guzzle Chicago?

Book through Mile High Cocktail Club on OpenTable, or call Four Seasons Hotel Chicago reservations. Seatings run Thursday through Sunday from 5 to 10 PM.

A few tips for getting in:

• Go early in the run. Opening weekend, October 15 to 18, carries the most buzz. Thursday and the 5 PM slots are your best odds.
• Plan around holidays. December weekends around the holidays will fill fast once the city’s party season starts.
• Bring one friend. Pairs fit most easily into a small room, and you can trade sips across both menus.
• Pace your evening. Past seasons capped seatings at about an hour and a half, so plan dinner before or after. Adorn on the 7th floor makes an easy pairing.

What does it cost, and what should you wear?

The experience costs $85 per person and includes two curated drinks. Bar bites from Chef Leidenfrost are on the menu, so budget extra if you plan to eat. OpenTable lists the dress code as smart casual. Lean polished: this is a Four Seasons lounge on the Gold Coast, and a jacket or a good dress fits the room and the view.

Why is this worth a night out?

Because it puts the best bar in North America a cab ride away for five months, at a fixed price that covers two drinks from a team that usually draws lines on Cornelia Street. Sip & Guzzle travels for one-night takeovers in cities from London to Athens. Chicago gets a full season.

The residency also lands at the right moment. Fall is when the Gold Coast hotel bars come alive, and this one pairs well with the rest of the neighborhood: a nightcap at the Champagne Room at The Ambassador, or dinner first at Arla on its Gold Coast rooftop. If you love a hidden room, add The Lair in River North to the list, and see what else is happening this month in our October nightlife calendar.

Book the first weekend, order one Sip and one Guzzle, and catch the sunset from the 46th floor.

Frequently asked questions

When does Sip & Guzzle open in Chicago?

Sip & Guzzle opens at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago’s Mile High Cocktail Club on Thursday, October 15, 2026, and runs through Sunday, March 14, 2027. Hours are Thursday through Sunday, 5 to 10 PM.

How much does Sip & Guzzle Chicago cost?

The residency costs $85 per person, which includes two curated cocktails chosen from a menu of three Sips and three Guzzles.

How do I make a reservation at the Mile High Cocktail Club?

Reserve on OpenTable under Mile High Cocktail Club, or contact Four Seasons Hotel Chicago reservations. Opening weekend, October 15 to 18, is the busiest window, so book early.

Where is the Mile High Cocktail Club?

It sits on the 46th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, 120 E Delaware Place, in the Gold Coast. Guests check in at the Adorn Bar on the 7th floor and are guided up.

What drinks are on the Sip & Guzzle Chicago menu?

The launch menu lists the Sips Drunk Grandma’s Apple Pie, Dirty Mango and Tomato Tree, and the Guzzles Mint 75, Rum & Cola and Miami Vice Negroni. The menu rotates during the residency.

Is Sip & Guzzle the best bar in North America?

Yes. Sip & Guzzle ranked No. 1 on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2026 and also took the title of Best Bar in Northeast USA.

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