SG Group is a bar management company that operates several award-winning bars in Shanghai and Tokyo. With our founder Shingo Gokan at the helm, we continue to explore new horizons in the art of mixology.
“Sip & Guzzle” — The two contrasting drinking styles represent our mission to create a comfortable space for all guests. Whether you are rewarding yourself with a luxurious cocktail, or enjoying a toast with friends, we promise a stimulating cocktail experience.
Founder and representative of SG Group, Shingo Gokan is recognized as one of the leading figures in the international bartending industry.
Starting with placing as global champion at the Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition in 2012, Gokan has earned numerous prestigious titles, including International Bartender of the Year at Tales of The Cocktail 2017, which has been described as the bar industry’s equivalent to the Oscars.
Recent acknowledgements include being awarded Altos Bartender’s Bartender in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2019, and Roku Industry Icon in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2021, which has made Gokan the first individual to receive these two awards.
Bar World 100 has recognized Gokan as one of the industry’s most influential figures in 2021, placing him in the top 4 individuals in the world.
Veiled among the elegant boulevards of Shanghai’s former French Concession district, a modern-day speakeasy awaits your visit. Enter a hidden entrance located inside bar tool boutique OCHO to escape the turbulence of the city.
With a vibrant and convivial atmosphere, the second-floor bar is a glistening spot of late-night lore. Enjoy the stimulating selection of cocktails created behind the polished copper-top bar.
Indulge in the opulent ambiance of the third floor, where tradition and innovation coalesce. Savor the moment with time-honored classics and original recipes using carefully selected Japanese whiskey and exclusive craft spirits.
The World’s 50 Best Bars - No.10 (2017) / Asia’s 50 Best Bars - No.2 (2017)
Comprised of Sober Café, Sober Kitchen, and Sober Society, Sober Company offers an all-day experience where guests are welcome to enjoy cocktails at any scene of the day.
Serving an eclectic array of drinks and dishes, each section embodies the element of a neighborhood in New York, offering guests a tour around West Village, China Town, and East Village.
Start your excursion off with aperitifs of coffee and tea cocktails crafted by our baristas at Sober Café. Next, hop over to Sober Kitchen to enjoy quality modern Chinese cuisine with a side of cocktails. Enjoy the afterglow of your multicultural experience with artisanal digestifs served at Sober Society. When it’s time to leave the venue, you will definitely be left tipsy.
The World’s 50 Best Bars - No.42 (2020) / Asia’s 50 Best Bars No.5 (2021)
Tales of the Cocktail - Best International Restaurant Bar (2020)
Inspired by the first official journey made by the Japanese to the United States in 1860, The SG Club offers a unique blend of influences reminiscent of the era when cocktail culture was reaching its first golden age. Divided into two floors known as Sip and Guzzle, carefully crafted cocktails are curated to represent the contrasting drinking styles.
Guzzle, located on the ground floor, offers an upbeat and warm atmosphere with a vintage west coast feel. The cocktail list consists of approachable cocktails, as well as an abundant selection of mocktails and take away cocktails.
Downstairs awaits Sip, a basement haven hinting at an old New York gang club with samurai inspirations. Many cocktails here draw from the unique flavor combinations one finds at fine dining restaurants. A professional shoeshine is available as guests enjoy their cocktails.
Tucked away on the second floor is Savor, a membership cigar and cocktail lounge founded on the blend of Cuban and Japanese sensibilities. Japanese details integrated masterfully with Caribbean aesthetics, guests enjoy cocktails tailored perfectly to each cigar.
The World’s 50 Best Bars - No.10 (2020) / Asia’s 50 Best Bars - No.3 (2021)
The Best Bar in Japan (2020, 2021)
As Gokan’s first collaboration project, he welcomes Steve Schneider, former principal bartender of New York’s Employees Only NYC. Escape to a stimulating world of the eponymous odd couple’s contrasting yet complementary bartending approaches.
Produced by the dynamic duo providentially both born in 1983, The Odd Couple brings life the image of a bar in the future envisioned in the 1980s. Amidst the explosion of fluorescent lights and infectious energy, enjoy the retro-futuristic atmosphere with palatable cocktails designed by the two masterminds.
Illustrious for innovative cocktail bars, the SG group challenges to amalgamate cocktail bars and the famous Japanese “Izakaya” that were once thought to be mutually exclusive. Taking inspiration from the street culture in New York’s Lower East Side and Tokyo’s Shibuya district, SG LOW offers a playful interpretation of the traditional casual bar-restaurants.
Placing emphasis on both food and drinks, SG LOW is perfect for casual drinks with friends and small gatherings. Guests can enjoy drinks ranging from a seemingly endless list of lemon sours to a curated list of classic twists, and highballs featuring The SG Shochu, with a rich variety of Japanese Izakaya food favorites served with an iconic SG-style twist.
Inspired by the iconic motion made by a wine glass, swrl. [wine cocktail & kitchen] introduces a brand-new unorthodox approach to wine cocktails. No shaking, no stirring, and no familiar bar tools are used. Each drink is concocted by the simple yet momentous motion of swirling a [cocktail] and [wine] into a glass.
Bartender Shingo Gokan assembles fresh ingredients and top-shelf spirits to create a [cocktail], which is paired with [wine] meticulously selected by the renowned wine sommelier Motohiro Okoshi. Finally, grill and vegan cuisine specialist chef Fumio Yonezawa all come together to create an innovative cocktail and cuisine experience.
Taking inspiration from the renovated brownstone buildings in Brooklyn, swrl. [wine cocktail & kitchen] is where history and modernity seamlessly merge. The comforting venue comprised of rustic wood flooring, emerald tiles, and spacious seating, is perfect for an early dinner or a late-night cocktail session.
South American inspired fare directed by Chef Fumio Yonezawa completes the experience at swrl. [wine cocktail & kitchen]. Renowned for his position as sous-chef at the two Michelin star restaurant Jean-Georges New York, chef Fumio’s mastery of the grill and vegan cuisine promises a culinary experience as original and memorable as the wine cocktails.
“Lequio” was how the seafaring Spanish and Portuguese referred to the Ryukyu Kingdom during the Age of Discovery.
This island, presently known as Okinawa, is ripe with cultural convergences not found anywhere else in Japan...
Exploring the curious relationship between the Ryuku and Latin American cultures, El Lequio epitomizes Okinawa’s unique cultural fusion in a cocktail bar.
Walking into the bar, guests are greeted by El Lequio’s signature painting of a dream-like whale, storied to swim among the seas of Ryukyu and Latin America.
The 18-seat bar is set in Latin American aesthetics, with Okinawan bingata textiles decorating the walls and a striking lounge section covered in tango red.
El Lequio is an expression of a cocktail bar made possible only here in Okinawa.
The two pillars of the cocktail menu are also distinctive features of El Lequio.
Taking advantage of fresh local ingredients, the Ryukyu-Inspired category explores twists on classic cocktails with a nod to familiar Okinawan flavors.
Meanwhile, the Nikkei-Latino category digs into cocktails with their roots in Latin America, updated through the lens of modern Okinawa.
El Lequio brings together the convergence of cultures, flavors, and stories across oceans into a one and only cocktail experience.
æ (“ash”)—with a logo expressing coffee’s infinite potential—represents SG Group’s decisive step into the pursuit of zero-waste in both coffee and cocktail.
Working with Taka Ishitani, one of Japan’s most respected baristas, æ explores the possibilities of coffee and cocktail both during the day as a coffee shop, and in the evenings as a cocktail bar.
æ's operations are based on zero-waste principles. Through going paperless, avoiding disposable products, recycling, and upcycling ingredients, trash is reduced to an absolute minimum. Meanwhile, collaborative projects across industries shed light on brand new ways to explore resources creatively.
Another feature of æ is the signature blend. Both the light- and dark-roast blends feature coffee from around the world carefully roasted and blended to encapsulate barista Taka Ishitani’s vision of æ's signature flavors.
The character of these two blends makes up the foundation for æ’s coffee and coffee cocktails.
æ's cocktail menu consists of Coffee Cocktails and Zero-Waste Classics. The Coffee Cocktails explore interpretations of well-known drinks as well as brand-new creations, taking advantage of the distinctive flavors of æ’s signature roasts.
The Zero-Waste Classics approach the cocktail making process from a brand-new angle. Every fresh ingredient from fruits to spices are explored for multiple uses and upcycled into novel expressions of age-old classics.
SG Management Inc.
Head Quarter | 1-7-8 Jinnan, Shibuya, Tokyo 150041 Japan |
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Office | NC Building, 1-9-4 Jinnan, Shibuya, Tokyo 150041 Japan |
TEL | +81-3-6455-2630 |
President | Satoshi Katsuyama |
Directors | Shingo Gokan Katsuo Matsunaga Zhang Jie Atsushi Suzuki Marin Tsuchiya |
SG Group | Fivesenses Inc. (Tokyo) Speak Low Inc. (Tokyo) Esjien Inc. (Tokyo) Shanghai Hou Gan Food and Beverage Management Co.,Ltd (Shanghai) SG Management LLC. (New York) The SG Shochu (Liquor Brand) KOKUTO DE LEQUIO(Liquor Brand) S/G Glass(Glassware Brand) |