
Photo: Martiny's
New York, United States
Takuma Watanabe spent eight years at Angel's Share before opening this three-floor carriage house on East 17th Street, where Japanese technique meets old New York architecture. Hand-carved ice, hot towels, and a Grand Martini built with gin, sherry, port, and cognac earned Watanabe the Bartender of the Year title at the 2024 Spirits Business Awards and the Best Bartender in North America nod at the Shaker Awards. Ranked No. 15 on North America's 50 Best Bars, Martiny's treats every drink as a ceremony. The formality is the point. The latest lists place it at No. 23 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026 and No. 75 on the World's 50 Best Bars 2025.