A New York City bar crawl is as much of a rite of passage as it is an art form.
However, a bar crawl is always a good idea in theory, but in practice, it usually ends with a heavy head and a ruined next morning. Last week, we hit the pavement with the founders of Second Sip for a progressive tasting across three of Manhattan’s best cocktail dens to see if they could change that. What we experienced wasn’t just a night of great drinks; it’s a total shift in how you can approach a night out.
The concept behind Second Sip is simple: drink twice for the content of one regular drink. By focusing on a low-ABV formulation, they let you enjoy the ritual, the complexity, and the social flow of a crawl without hitting your limit by hour two.
Photo courtesy of Rachel Harrison Communications
Based on other low-ABV drinks, it’s hard to separate the low ABV notion from the idea of it being “watered down” with a thin, muted flavor profile. The Second Sip team explicitly set out to fix that. Their gin has this incredibly lush mouthfeel that coats the palate, meaning the spirit actually stands up to mixers instead of diluting into the background. The secret is in the science: they incorporate CO2 into the distillation and flavor extraction process to maximize the delicate botanical oils. The result is a vibrant, laser-focused gin that delivers massive flavor without the heavy proof.
We kicked things off in Midtown at the elegant Ai Fiori with the Evening Star. They paired Second Sip with vodka and Cocchi Americano, finished with a bright spritz of Meyer lemon oil. The real showstopper, though, was the sidecar garnish: a refined bite of cucumber, crème fraîche, and vegan caviar that perfectly matched the clean notes of the gin.
From there, we headed down to the plush, sultry surroundings of The Ned. The bar team here leaned hard into texture with the Out East, a bright, clarified milk punch layering Second Sip with aloe, Green Chartreuse, watermelon, citrus, and cucumber bitters. Clarifying the punch gave it a silky texture that played beautifully with the gin’s natural viscosity.
We wrapped up the night high above the city at Clemente Bar for a more contemplative finale. Our last drink was the Second Look, a deeply aromatic cocktail combining Second Sip with grape, amaro, Campari, blood orange tea, fennel, and almond, rounded out with a touch of absinthe. It was complex, slightly bitter, and beautifully structured which presented itself as the ultimate nightcap drink.
Walking away from a three-stop Manhattan cocktail tour with nothing but a light buzz felt like a magic trick. Second Sip isn’t just offering a lower-alcohol alternative; they’re offering a better way to experience the craftsmanship of NYC’s best bartenders.
Keep an eye out for this bottle on backbars around the city. Your next morning will thank you.
