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Bars in New York and Atlanta are offering multi-course cocktail tastings inspired by omakase, pairing drinks with food and bartender-led presentation. The format is drawing interest as a way to showcase craft and hospitality, but demand is unproven and some industry figures say a set sequence alone does not qualify as omakase.
Bars are adapting omakase into guided cocktail tastings, bringing a format associated with sushi counters into a small but growing number of drinks venues. New York’s Cocktail Omakase and Atlanta’s Tiger Sun serve multi-course menus with food pairings, though industry figures disagree on when a cocktail tasting genuinely reflects omakase rather than simply borrowing its name.
At Ophelia in midtown Manhattan, the 90-minute “Omacocktail” tasting includes seven small cocktails and bites and costs around $100 through reservation platform Bucket Listers, according to VinePair. The report describes elaborate presentation, including drinks that are smoked, clarified or finished with edible glitter. Before the final drink, a bartender adds drops of Louis XIII Cognac; a server brings caviar to pair with it.
Cocktail Omakase, a Lower East Side bar founded by Cocktail Kingdom CEO Greg Boehm in collaboration with Tokyo’s Bar Libre, offers a $55 four-course tasting paired with individual bites. Its menu changes every two weeks. Boehm says the bar seats guests in front of the bartender to make the preparation and interaction part of the experience. A separate seven-seat area offers à la carte drinks for guests who do not want the tasting format.
In Atlanta, Tiger Sun serves a four-course cocktail omakase with food for $95 per person inside a refurbished tour bus. Its menus take themes from films of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, according to the report. These examples vary in price and presentation, but share a sequence of drinks designed to be experienced as a guided meal rather than ordered one at a time.
A New Format for Cocktail Service
The tasting format gives bars a way to present several drinks as a planned progression, highlighting ingredients, technique and pairing rather than relying on a single signature cocktail. For customers, it offers a more structured night out and direct interaction with the person making the drinks. For operators, it creates a distinct experience that can be booked in advance and priced as a package.
That format also carries a risk: the name may promise more than the service delivers. A fixed sequence of cocktails can be called a tasting menu, but the omakase label suggests that trust and interaction between guest and maker matter too. Whether customers see the difference—and whether they will regularly pay for guided tastings—remains an open question.
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Omakase means “I leave it to you.” The source report traces the practice to Japanese food stalls, where customers trusted vendors to select fresh fish, and describes its later rise as a term for high-end sushi experiences. In restaurants today, the word is also used for experiences beyond sushi, including taco and pizza menus. The bar versions are part of that broader spread, but cocktail tasting menus remain comparatively uncommon, according to VinePair.
That broader use has prompted disagreement among hospitality professionals. Shinya Yamao, beverage director at New York’s Don’t Be Shy, distinguishes the format from the relationship: a tasting menu is a sequence, while omakase depends on the guest trusting the person creating the experience. Hiro Nishida, founder of hospitality consultancy Plus Being NYC, says seasonality, technique and hospitality should be part of a bar’s claim to the term.
““When you do the Omacocktail, you get to sit with the bartender, and you get to learn about the processes and techniques. It’s very intimate.””
— Amir Babayoff, beverage director at Ophelia
cocktail making kit with food pairing
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Demand and Definitions Remain Open
How many customers want these tastings is not clear. The report identifies several venues and prices but provides no sales figures, booking data or evidence of sustained demand across the wider bar industry. It also does not establish how many other bars are adopting the format.
The meaning of “omakase” in a bar setting remains contested. Operators and advisers cited in the report differ on whether a curated menu is enough or whether the format requires a particular relationship of trust, hospitality and responsiveness between bartender and guest. The examples described do not establish a shared industry standard.
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Whether the Format Finds Repeat Customers
The next test for these venues is whether guests return for changing menus and recommend the experience beyond its initial novelty. Cocktail Omakase changes its courses every two weeks, while Tiger Sun builds menus around different films; those changes give customers a reason to revisit, but the report includes no follow-up on repeat visits or long-term performance.
For now, the clearest development is the appearance of several distinct bar interpretations of a guided cocktail meal—not proof that the format will become widespread. More information on bookings, customer response and how operators define the service would show whether omakase becomes a durable part of bar menus or remains a specialized offering.
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Key Questions
What is a cocktail omakase?
It is a guided sequence of cocktails, often served with food and presented by a bartender. Bars differ on whether that alone qualifies as omakase or whether guest interaction and trust are also required.
How much do the tastings in the report cost?
Cocktail Omakase charges $55 for four courses, and Tiger Sun charges $95 per person for four courses with food. Ophelia’s seven-drink, 90-minute Omacocktail costs around $100 through Bucket Listers, according to VinePair.
Where are these cocktail tastings offered?
The report describes Ophelia and Cocktail Omakase in New York and Tiger Sun in Atlanta. It does not provide a complete list of bars offering similar menus.
Is the format becoming popular?
The report identifies a small group of examples, but offers no booking or sales data to show how widespread the format is or how much demand it has. Its future popularity remains uncertain.
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