{"id":19952,"date":"2026-01-08T16:25:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T16:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/01\/08\/chin-up-bar-a-gin-only-cocktail-bar-opens-in-nycs-lower-east-side\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T16:25:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T16:25:04","slug":"chin-up-bar-a-gin-only-cocktail-bar-opens-in-nycs-lower-east-side","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/01\/08\/chin-up-bar-a-gin-only-cocktail-bar-opens-in-nycs-lower-east-side\/","title":{"rendered":"Chin Up Bar, a Gin-Only Cocktail Bar, Opens in NYC\u2019s Lower East Side"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chin Up Bar is a new gin-focused cocktail spot on the Lower East Side. Photo Memory NYC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Specialization is hot in New York\u2019s crowded bar scene. Want an <\/span>Italian aperitivo<\/span><\/a>? Or <\/span>Japanese-style cocktails<\/span><\/a>? You\u2019ve got options in spades. Spirits themselves, too, prove rich enough to warrant entire bars dedicated to their varying expressions, especially <\/span>whiskey<\/span><\/a> and agave spirits like <\/span>tequila and mezcal<\/span><\/a>. There\u2019s one spirit, however, that two bar industry veterans believe deserves another devoted destination, especially now: gin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Brian Gummert<\/a> and Blake Walker<\/a> have joined forces to open the gin-focused <\/span>Chin Up Bar<\/span><\/a> at 171 Chrystie Street in New York City\u2019s Lower East Side. The partnership makes sense: Gummert owns Lower East Side cocktail bar <\/span>Subject<\/span><\/a>; Walker bartended there, as well as at <\/span>Nitecap<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Amor y Amargo<\/span><\/a>, the latter of which is one of New York\u2019s prized specialty spots concentrating on amaro.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBrian and I both love gin, and there\u2019s been an explosion of exciting gins in the past 10 to 15 years,\u201d Walker tells Observer. Classic London dry styles from well-established distilleries have long been popular in Europe and back bar staples in the United States. But more recently, American craft distilleries, like <\/span>Tenmile Distillery<\/span><\/a> in upstate New York, have been leaning more into the spirit. Gins are also popping up in regions not previously associated with the spirit, where endemic fruits and botanicals give it a fresh spin\u2014South Africa\u2019s <\/span>Bayab Gin<\/span><\/a> with local pineapple and palm sap, for example, or Vietnam\u2019s S\u00f4ng C\u00e1i Distillery with heirloom pomelo, jungle pepper, black cardamom and green turmeric.<\/span><\/p>\n

The thrill of discovery fueled the proliferation of whiskey and agave bars over the last two decades, Walker adds. Craft whiskey options exploded in New York, followed by an increased availability of quality tequila and mezcal, and suddenly bar-goers had entire categories to explore at dedicated destinations. Now, he says, gin \u201cis ripe for that.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gin\u2019s own craft boom has resulted in myriad different flavor profiles for such exploration. Walker and Gummert curated a back bar just shy of 100 gin bottles ahead of the December 2025 opening, which Walker says could likely double in the next few months and continue to grow from there. In addition to heavy hitters in the London dry vein, Chin Up Bar<\/a>\u2019s shelves represent the aforementioned options from upstate New York, Vietnam and South Africa, as well as those from Japan, India, Kenya, Mexico, Australia and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bolstered by this kind of selection, Chin Up Bar speaks to gin lovers above all else. But Walker and Gummert are willing to bet that even those who believe they don\u2019t like gin just haven\u2019t found the gin for them yet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people avoid gin due to unfortunate experiences early in their drinking careers,\u201d Walker says. \u201cThey had bad gin, or they still have the perception it\u2019s old-fashioned or stodgy. I think that\u2019s diminishing and a lot of those attitudes have really sloughed off, but there\u2019s still a little bit of persistence there.\u201d For Walker and Gummert, the perception that gin is all pine tree and booze burn may be what has prevented the spirit from having its own dedicated menus in the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A Gibson. Photo Memory NYC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To showcase gin\u2019s versatility and vast breadth of regional expressions, Walker and Gummert have shaped a menu balancing classic gin cocktails with more novel creations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The classics help demonstrate the impact different gins can have on familiar, popular flavor profiles\u2014Martin Miller\u2019s Westbourne Strength gin is perfect in a martini with a refined balance of juniper, citrus, spice and clean smoothness. Roku Japanese gin has peppery spice and herbaceous green tea notes that sing in a dirty martini, and Neversink New York gin possesses a hint of sweetness that brings out the same in the Gibson\u2019s leek vermouth and sherry vinegar while tempering the drink\u2019s acidity and brine. Then, there are the more adventurous Chin Up Bar originals.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Rendezvous in Chennai. Photo Memory NYC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Floral, citrusy and spicy, Dorothy Parker New York gin pulls together the Rendezvous in Chennai. With Madras curry, coconut, apricot, ginger and lime, the slightly creamy, velvety cocktail explodes with bright, tropical flavors before the savory curry, with its subtle heat, blossoms and lingers in the drink\u2019s finish. Elsewhere on the menu, the Australian Four Pillars yuzu gin plays with guava and sunflower seed orgeat, while the Mexican Condesa prickly pear gin anchors thyme, kiwi, honey and sparkling wine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Walker and Gummert aren\u2019t afraid to venture beyond traditional gin cocktails and inventions crafted specifically around gin. Aquavit, essentially a Scandinavian gin riff featuring caraway instead of juniper, punches up the traditionally more rounded, sweeter old-fashioned with spice, while apple brandy, Granny Smith apples, wasabi and red shiso broaden its flavor horizons with a bright crispness, earthiness and heat. Gin even found its way into a coquito Walker was pouring before Christmas. The rich, coconutty Puerto Rican holiday punch is made with rum, but Walker splits its base with gin. The result is a more complex coquito with punchier spices and subtle botanicals keeping the drink safely distant from cloying territory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The aquavit old-fashioned. Photo Memory NYC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s plenty to learn about gin at Chin Up Bar, but it\u2019s up to guests how much information they want served up with their drinks. Walker and Gummert prioritize staff education, so information on various gins comes across more naturally in dialogues with guests rather than requiring rehearsed spiels. They also plan to have classic gin botanicals on hand for people to smell on their own, and they allow guests to liberally sample with one-ounce pours of anything on the back bar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for us to leave the doors wide open to educational experiences and talk about things in a knowledgeable way without forcing it on anyone,\u201d Walker explains. \u201cThey can just come in and have a delicious drink without that if they want.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Chin Up Bar\u2019s seafood-forward menu has been intentionally developed to pair well with gin. Even in the minuscule world of gin-focused bars, this level of detail is rare; gin isn\u2019t framed in a pairing context the same way as wine, beer, or even whiskey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The seafood-forward menu, with dishes like smoked mussels escabeche, was designed to pair well with gin. Photo Memory NYC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s the option to simply feast on shrimp cocktail with your martini, but you can also order dishes recommended based on your specific drink. For example, Walker suggested smoked mussels escabeche and a tuna dish with red shiso leaf and dehydrated beets to pair with the Rendezvous in Chennai and aquavit old-fashioned. The red shiso leaf in both the tuna and the old-fashioned matched well, and the mussels\u2019 smoky character highlighted the Rendezvous\u2019s savory curry note. (It\u2019s worth mentioning that the satisfyingly toothsome, densely flavor-packed beets on that tuna dish deserve their own award.) A selection of oysters may not be as carefully curated to cocktails\u2019 flavors, but similarly to the shrimp cocktail, they feel like a low-stakes, classic nosh for a cocktail bar.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a unique space. Photo Memory NYC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All of this gin celebration takes place in a refreshingly singular space. You won\u2019t find Art Deco \u201cbathtub gin\u201d nods here, nor the de rigueur martini bar plush red banquettes. The space itself feels sculptural, with cave-like white stucco walls inspired by the Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History. High vaulted ceilings with sky murals by Ori Carino wink at the ceilings of Grand Central Station, while touches of greenery pay homage to Sara D. Roosevelt Park near the bar. All together, the interior looks other-worldly\u2014it\u2019s giving a chicer, more restrained Mos Eisley Cantina\u2014but every element weaves in some New York reference.<\/span><\/p>\n

Envisioning Chin Up Bar\u2019s space, Gummert recalls serving drinks elsewhere during the pandemic and thinking how excited people would be to be in a new space.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Every element of the interior weaves in a piece of New York. Photo Memory NYC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cPeople were stuck in nostalgia for a while, but now seem to be wanting something fresh,\u201d he says. The bar is in a new building, so he and Walker got to design the layout from scratch. \u201cPatterns emerged little by little, inspired by New York public spaces, cathedrals, subway stations\u2026it was time to see something new and interesting in New York.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Walker and Gummert would love Chin Up to become a destination cocktail bar, but Walker notes that \u201cit\u2019s locals, it\u2019s regulars that keep you open and sustained for a long time. Our focus has been creating an experience to make people want to come back over and over.\u201d Gin enthusiasts will already be locked in to a concept like this, but between the reliably well-made classics, interesting originals, and strong food menu, there\u2019s more than enough for every other kind of imbiber to appreciate.<\/span><\/p>\n

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