The SG Club is once again king of Japan’s cocktail empire.
Announced at an Oct. 17 ceremony in Singapore, the World’s 50 Best Bars list named Shingo Gokan’s retro American-inspired bar not just Japan’s best but also No. 36 in the entire world. While Gokan has been busy in recent years with other projects, such as the waste-free cafe Ash, the ranking is further proof that Gokan is one of the leading names in Japanese cocktail culture.
While it’s no shock that Gokan is back in the driver’s seat of Tokyo’s elite bartending scene, it’s a minor surprise which bar The SG Club managed to edge out by only one spot on the 50 Best list: Ben Fiddich. At No. 37, Hiroyasu Kayama’s alchemical gem has been a usual sight at the top of any ranking through the last several years. In fact, The SG Club had not topped Ben Fiddich in the World’s 50 Best rankings since 2021.