{"id":50221,"date":"2025-10-02T00:57:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T00:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/50221\/"},"modified":"2025-10-02T00:57:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T00:57:09","slug":"sugar-monk-named-one-of-the-worlds-best-bars-by-pinnacle-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/50221\/","title":{"rendered":"Sugar Monk Named One of the World\u2019s Best Bars by Pinnacle Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Harlem just scored serious bragging rights: Sugar Monk, the velvet-draped cocktail den on Frederick Douglass Boulevard, has been officially named one of the best bars<\/a> in the world by The Pinnacle Guide<\/a>, the Michelin-style ranking that\u2019s rapidly becoming the gold standard for drinking destinations.<\/p>\n

The recognition puts Sugar Monk in rarefied company. The Pinnacle Guide\u2019s latest announcement added 61 new venues to its global list, now totaling 146 pinned bars across 14 countries. Each receives one, two or three \u201cpins,\u201d a nod to Michelin stars but for cocktails. Sugar Monk joins the ranks with a pin this year, part of a U.S. sweep that saw six new two-pin awards and a long roster of first-time entries.<\/p>\n

Founded in 2019 by mixologist and visual artist Ektoras Binikos and Montreal-born designer Simon Jutras, Sugar Monk has always blurred the line between art studio and speakeasy. Binikos, who studied filmmaking and fine art before devoting three decades to cocktails, describes each drink as a canvas\u2014layers of botanicals, house-foraged herbs and avant-garde presentation.<\/p>\n

Inside, the vibe is deliberately moody: candlelight flickers against jewel-toned banquettes, vintage jazz vinyl sets the soundtrack, and the bar team serves cocktails that could double as sculptures. A mezcal-and-absinthe mix like Potters Field pairs with cardamom and elderflower, while the aromatic Four Horsemen layers Amari with sage, patchouli and eucalyptus. Even the rye-based Thelonious feels more like a piece of art than a pour.<\/p>\n

The Pinnacle Guide praised this year\u2019s winners for craft, consistency and design, noting a rise in independent, owner-operated bars thriving outside traditional capitals. That\u2019s Sugar Monk to a T\u2014an intimate Harlem hangout that feels more like an artists\u2019 salon than a typical night out.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been blown away by the applications in this round\u2014not only by the number that we\u2019ve received but also the incredible caliber,\u201d said Pinnacle Guide co-founder Siobhan Payne. \u201cIt\u2019s clear The Pinnacle Guide is gaining real momentum and we couldn\u2019t be prouder of this latest announcement of pinned bars.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Harlem<\/a>, the accolade cements Sugar Monk as not just a neighborhood treasure but a destination bar worth the subway\u2014or even the flight. Whether you\u2019re a cocktail nerd chasing the next great drink or just want to sip something beautiful in a room that hums with creative energy, Sugar Monk has officially arrived on the world stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Harlem just scored serious bragging rights: Sugar Monk, the velvet-draped cocktail den on Frederick Douglass Boulevard, has been…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50222,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[38789,146,85,46,38790,189],"class_list":{"0":"post-50221","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-categories-restaurants","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-israel","12":"tag-news-drinking","13":"tag-restaurants"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50221\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}