Let’s start from this: the Sips bar was elected best bar of the world in 2023, and scored third both in 2022 and 2024. So, even if rankings such as the World 50 best bars are sometimes disappointing, my expectations were rather high. Now, the Sips is a fantastic bar, both for the concept – there is no “bar” as such, with bartenders preparing cocktails around a table in the middle of the bar, creating a very informal athmosphere and making you feel part of the place, and for the drinks – top quality ingredients that make creative cocktails with a clear concept behind. Also, in the back of the place they opened a room called “Esencia”, where you don’t “order” cocktails but get a different experience through many “sips” of different drinks that the bartenders prepare in front of you like a drinking tasting experience (I could not try this but I will be back). At the same time, the Sips is somehow a victim of its success: you need to reserve well in advance or queue in front of the bar with low hopes to get in, and you can stay until the next slot reservation for your table is coming, and you have the feeling people are there, moltly tourists, “beacuse it is the Sips”. Also, for my personal taste the attention to customers is somehow too high, with many waiters (that are also bartenders) going around the tables and telling you everything about your drinks. Don’t get me wrong: this is really nice but I think here is a bit too much. Finally, let’s recall that bars are valued first of all starting from their drinks, and my “two steps Martini” at the Sips was top quality, also because it is served in two steps, new chilled glass when you have finished your first one, making sure that it never gets cold. My response: definetly worth a visit to experience what being in the olympus of the world bars means and to get really good sips! Classic Martini rate: 8.
The Martini Hour 