Swig

Loved the ambiance and the ability to have a cigar while you enjoy a generous 2 oz pour from a fairly extensive list of single malt scotches!
They have a few tables outside that also allow you to enjoy your cigar while overlooking the scenic San Antonio riverwalk.
I don’t live here, but when I travel here, you can bet this place will be on my list of stops!

This restaurant is located at the Hard Rock megaplex, so if you’re on the river taxi, ask to get off there. When you get off the boat, head left a little, and take the stairs up. It’s very hard to miss. It’s right near the Harley Davidson store. The bar is a martini bar, with the dark windows. We stopped by one afternoon, and were struck by the happy hour (2 p.m. to 7 p.m.) menu lying on an outside table. Get this $ 4.75 for a Grey Goose martini infused with pineapple. Yes, $ 4.75!!! I have attached a picture of the happy hour menu, and there are many more available. And yes, the martini was made with Grey Goose, very artfully. The folks there were very friendly. My companion had a dirty vodka martini, also on happy hour, and was very pleased with it. The inside was very swanky, and bathrooms very clean. We’ll be back. There is a takeout pizza joint next door, so you can get a slice and sit outside with your martini.

Great bar on the Riverwalk! Lots of different kinds of Tequilas. After all, Tequilla is their specialty. Strong drinks, which is unusual on the Riverwalk. Big outdoor seating area. TVs all around. The only complaint was the band. They were terrible. The kind of singer that couldn’t sing the melodies, so just sang the lyrics and did what he could do to come close on the melodies. Probably if I confronted him on this, he would say those are his artistic choices– to which my response is: those are not good choices. He needs to get back in the practice room.

Absolutely delicious martinis. Best one I’ve had during my trip to Texas. Go sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Fun place to try some new martini flavors! The best tasting was a coconut flavor with chocolate around the rim. omg deliciousness! Stop in for one or 2 if you’re visiting the Riverwalk area.

Highly recommended alcohol only bar with good prices. $ 7-​$ 10 average per cocktail which is cheaper than most restaurants on riverwalk. Crafted to perfection and so delicious I ordered the tart and the watermelon lollipop. Service was ok. Yummy…

Love this place! The drinks were delish and pizza hot and fresh. The servers were very attentive and helpful to the large group that we had. I will definitely go there again!

A nice martini bar. Not exactly on the river, but the tables outside are perpendicular to it.
Service was friendly, although a tad overwhelmed. My first drink order was mixed up with that of the next table over. Still, the martinis were good and cigar smoking is allowed on the outside patio.
If you want to smoke a cigar, I recommend bringing your own.
They sell cigars but the list is limited and at least in my case the cigars don’t match the descriptions on the list. I asked for a Cohiba robusto but the cigar I was brought definitely was not a robusto and wasn’t close to matching the length and ring gauge stated on the cigar list. It was probably a petite corona rather than a robusto.
Still, if you bring your own stick I recommend it as a good place for a cigar and a cocktail in downtown San Antonio.

Swig had good drinks for a reasonable price. The location is great because it’s right in the heart of down town. I went with a group of people on a Thursday and it wasn’t that busy. I will definitely be back for another drink or two.

This bar is the best by far. We went to a lot of bars on the Riverwalk for mine and my husband’s anniversary. Everyone we went to made the drinks so strong that we couldn’t even drink them. Big waste at the other bars. These bartenders know what they’re doing. To be honest I am not a drinker. But these drinks I loved. And if you have a drink that you want that’s not on the list all you got to do is show them a recipe and they can make it. The next time we head back this is the first stop on our list.

«Let me just take a quick swig at Swig,» that pun was absolutely corny but I couldn’t help it.
I first came across this place when I wanted to go to Howl at the Moon, located downtown, and their line was absolutely ridiculous. It was a Thursday night and I was ready to celebrate a long weekend.
The first thing that caught my eye passing by Swig was the live band they had and this dark sultry feel it gave off. Before I even realized it, I was inside and gravitating to the bar.
Fast forward six years later and the bartenders still have me coming back. The Swig bartenders are assassins when it comes to making martinis. (Oh yea I probably should have mentioned Swig is a Martini Bar) Ask them for suggestions and they love to give you choices. They’re whiskey martinis and lemon drops are my weakness here.
What makes this place great as well is that they don’t charge a cover fee to enter unlike a couple bars downtown that do.
Last but not least, Swig features an outdoor patio overlooking the Riverwalk so don’t feel like you’re limited to the bar itself.

They had a diverse and extensive menu. I enjoy martinis, cocktails, bourbon, beer, and wine and I love trying eclectic drinks, but none of the martinis or cocktails really jumped out at me. The Moscow Mule was great, but you can get that almost anywhere so it’s not worth the trip.
The waitstaff was also a little rude. We didn’t know that you sat yourself so we were just standing around and know one told us to just grab a seat. I finally asked and got a slightly snarky reply. How hard is it to put up a sign that says, «please seat yourself» or have understanding waitresses? I also got attitude when I asked if they had a table for six. I was told «one inside,» and nothing else. I had to ask again if she could point it out and she just nodded behind me. If you had a party is six that wanted to drink at your bar, don’t you think you would show them where they could sit especially if there was only one table?
Lastly, if smoking bothers you then don’t plan on sitting outside. We wanted to enjoy the nice weather so we combined two smaller tables outside and we were surrounded by smokers. The strong smell of smoke really detracted from the experience and taste of the drinks.
For great cocktails, I’ve really enjoyed SoHo which is an excellent martini and wine bar just down the street from Swig, Bar 1919, The Green Lantern in Stone Oak, and George’s Keep in La Cantera. I’d also recommend The Esquire which is a little further walk away than SoHo downtown.

Nice little martini bar! I came with a rather large group and we really enjoyed ourselves here. Wonderful chocolate martinis!

Good place… nice variety of Scotches & Whiskeys

Great Martini spot near the Riverwalk! I chose to skip my hotel bar and stop in here for a drink (or 2) after dinner. The martini list was super extensive and there was a whole separate menu for regular cocktails. The ambiance was really relaxing… somewhat dimly light, TVs on mute behind the bar, couch/​booth/​bench type seating in the main room with individual tables and awesome background music. It also smelled great… it was like a cinnamon, warm, fuzzy feeling scent. LOL. Did I say the ambiance was great?!
Most of the martinis were only $ 8 and a few topped at $ 10. SMH, I need to move to San Antonio at those prices! After some deliberation and guidance from my server, Shaniece (Shanaynay was listed on the bill though… Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!), I went with the Pink Goose — it was Grey Goose, X rated, lime and sugar. It wasn’t terribly strong or overpowering, it was simply tasty and delicious. My friend had a dirty martini with Tito’s. It was strong and «olivey» if you like that sort of thing. I don’t know how folks do it, but he enjoyed it so that’s all that matters. Overall, it was a cool spot. I’d stop in again next time I’m in town.

Swig is alright. It’s a pretty small space, swanky interior, and right on the Riverwalk so you have access to a whole bunch of other places. It’s a little pricey due to the location, but the drinks I tried (Sazerac and a tea, I don’t remember the name) were delicious with ample booze without tasting too strongly. However, the atmosphere left something to be desired for me — too many wasted people for such a small space acting a fool, blocking the small walkways and knocking over glasses. Maybe I just went on an off night. I’ll go back because one of my favorite local bands plays there and it’s a very intimate spot for listening to music, but if you’re just interested in the cocktails you may be better off trying a weeknight when things are a little quieter.

Great place!
Good cigar selection you can smoke outside.
Nice bourbon list and single malt scotch list and a very friendly staff!
Brian is worth his weight in gold!
Right on the «Riverwalk» so moderate prices but the locale makes it worth it!

Gotta say our server was amazing. Polite, attentive, and great attitude…
The guy ogling my wife as we walked in turned out to be the manager. Nice way to make a first impression.
The 2 dirty grey goose martinis we ordered were nothing but olive juice with olives (with perhaps a dash of what could have been anything — vodka or otherwise). I couldn’t finish mine, and although I usually love stewing my olives there is no way I wanted to even look at these ones after 4 brief sips.
Weird vibe, great server, rip off.
I only wish I had’ve tipped in cash. I’d hate to think that a dime of it went to the incompetent/​devious bartender.

If you want a really good cocktail in San Antonio, try the Banana Boo. Chocolate liqueur and banana liqueur meets milk chocolate and cherry to top it off. Enjoy!

So many choices, need to spend more than a couple of hours here! The Victoria Secret drink is delish! Actually just about every drink we had, I sampled the others in my group, :-)
Great hidden spot not far from the Alamo!