Inside Sip & Guzzle with Steve Schneider

This week on The Cocktail Academy Podcast, Damian sits down with Steve Schneider, partner at Sip & Guzzle in New York and one of the defining figures behind modern cocktail hospitality.

Steve talks through his journey from the Marines and high-energy DC bars to Employees Only and eventually building Sip & Guzzle alongside Shingo Gokan. What starts as a conversation about cocktails quickly turns into a deep dive into bar identity, hospitality, storytelling, service culture, and what it actually takes to create bars people emotionally connect with.

Steve breaks down the philosophy behind Sip & Guzzle, explaining how the venue was designed as a “love story between New York and Tokyo,” inspired by the history of Japanese samurai arriving in New York in the 1860s and the evolution of Japanese bartending culture. He also opens up about building concepts with intention, managing high-volume service, training teams, and why modern bartending is now more about flavour and experience than showing off technical knowledge.

The episode is packed with stories, hospitality philosophy, operational insight, and the unmistakable energy Steve has become known for.

In this episode:

• Steve’s journey from the Marines into bartending

• Winning speed bartending competitions and early industry life

• Joining and eventually becoming partner at Employees Only

• Building Sip & Guzzle alongside Shingo Gokan

• The concept and storytelling behind the venue

• The difference between SIP and Guzzle

• Japanese bartending versus New York bartending culture