Stylish Sips by Giovanny “Gio” Gutierrez

About Gio

If you haven’t formally met Cuban-born and Miami-bred Giovanny “Gio” Gutierrez, chances are good that you know him informally—either through his mouthwatering Instagram account or simply because he’s made you a drink. As the national brand ambassador for Bacardi’s Premium Rums, Gutierrez has had a hand in creating hundreds of cocktails at bars and restaurants throughout South Florida and beyond. He’s also the host of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Noche Cubana—a night of lechon, cigars, salsa, and you guessed it, rum—alongside Michelle Bernstein and David Martinez. Of course, a man about town like Gutierrez has countless favorite cocktails, but we’ve made him think long and hard to narrow it down to his top five libations. Cheers to him! —Kristen Desmond LeFevre

The Spot: Casa Neos

The Drink: Tears of Chios

Try It: Pull up by car or boat to this majestic four-story Mediterranean villa on the Miami River. You may as well just move in to Casa Neos, as it boasts a restaurant, a beach club, and a rooftop bar. You can find all the usual suspects here: mezzes, octopus, branzino, rack of lamb, and baklava. But it’s the cocktail list where Casa Neos truly shines. I’ve never tasted a drink like the Tears of Chios. Imagine if you could drink tzatziki. Served in a highball and violently carbonated (in a good way), this cocktail combines gin, Mastiha, and aquavit with extra-virgin olive oil and a tzatziki cordial. It’s impossible to have just one.

Make It:

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 oz. extra-virgin olive oil–infused gin (recipe below)
• 1/2 oz. Skinos Mastiha Liqueur
• 1/4 oz. Linie Aquavit
• 3/4 oz. tzatziki cordial (recipe below)
• 1 1/2 oz. water

Add all ingredients in a highball glass, carbonate, and garnish with a bamboo leaf.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil–Infused Gin Ingredients

• 750 ml. bottle No. 3 Gin
• 150 g. extra-virgin olive oil

Emulsify ingredients. Let mixture rest overnight in the freezer. Strain through a coffee filter to remove any solids.

Tzatziki Cordial Ingredients

• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp. dill
• 1 tsp. caraway seeds
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 3 oz. Sauvignon Blanc
• 1/4 g. agar agar

Add the cucumber, dill, caraway seeds, and coriander seeds to the Sauvignon Blanc. Leave overnight to infuse. Clarify with agar agar.

The Spot: ViceVersa

The Drink: Vice Presidente

Try It: Cool. Classy. Chill. That’s how I’d describe the quaint Italian aperitivo bar ViceVersa. Italian spirits, amaros, bitters, and vermouths are the stars of the show here, though the Miami influence is obvious in every bevvy. Exhibit A: the Vice Presidente is an Italian twist on the Cuban classic, which itself is a twist on the American Manhattan. The cheeky Vice Presidente is the bittered version of El Presidente. Mi-To (equal parts Campari from Milano and a sweet vermouth blend from Turin), Havana Club Rum, and Barolo Chinato round out this cocktail, complete with a Negroni-infused cherry sidecar for good measure.

Make It:

Ingredients

• 3/4 oz. Havana Club Añejo Clásico Aged Rum 
• 1/2 oz. rhum agricole
• 3/4 oz. Barolo Chinato Cocchi
• 1/3 oz. Campari
• 1/3 oz. Dolin Sweet Vermouth
• Negroni-infused cherry sidecar (recipe below)

Add the first five ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a coupe glass. Serve with the cherry sidecar.

Negroni-infused Cherry Sidecar Ingredients

• Gin
• Campari
• Sweet Vermouth
• Amarena Fabbri cherries

Mix the three classic Negroni ingredients in a 1:1:1 ratio. Pour over Amarena Fabbri cherries in a jar. Keep refrigerated. Store for up to a month.

The Spot: LPM

The Drink: La Place Garibaldi

Try It: This one’s a real curveball. LPM is famous for its Tomatini, which is exactly what it sounds like. But if you’re a lover of citrus and bitters like I am, the newest addition to their “Cinq à Sept” (literally translates to “five to seven”) low-ABV aperitif-style happy hour menu is the real champion. La Place Garibaldi reimagines the classic Italian cocktail—composed of freshly squeezed orange juice and Campari—by adding gin and Luxardo Bitter Bianco to the mix. And the layer of citrus foam finished with Campari dust? Bartender’s kiss. 

Make It:

Ingredients

• 1/3 oz. gin
• 1 oz. Luxardo Bitter Bianco
• 1 1/2 oz. orange solution (recipe below)
• 1/2 oz. filtered water
• 1 barspoon of simple syrup (3:2 parts sugar to water)
• Clementine-orange foam (recipe below)

Add the first five ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir. Strain and pour into a stemless Champagne flute. Top with the clementine-orange foam.

Orange Solution Ingredients

• 1 L. filtered water
• 100 g. caster sugar
• 2 g. malic acid
• 8 g. citric acid
• 25 g. cleaned orange peel (without the pith)

Mix ingredients together until dissolved. Bottle and use within a week.   

Clementine-Orange Foam Ingredients

• 1 g. methylcellulose (F50 Formula)
• 400 ml. fresh orange juice
• 200 ml. fresh clementine juice

Blend ingredients together. Add mixture to a cream syphon and charge with two No2 charges. Keep refrigerated. Use within 3 days.

The Spot: Panamericano

The Drink: Remember The Maine

Try It: Look for the black-and-white round logo of the Americas hovering above the black windows of what appears to be a defunct Daily Planet. Upon entering Panamericano, you’ll be instantly transported to a place outside of time and space, where cactus, palo santo, sage candles, and even a blindfold are either an ingredient in or an accompaniment to your interactive cocktail. Imbibing is a ceremonious occasion here, and every drink is an ode to the Americas. Case in point, Panamericano’s modern twist on the quintessential Manhattan—dubbed Remember The Maine—mixes whiskey and bourbon with Argentine sweet vermouth, absinthe, Mexican cherry liqueur, and cherry liqueur. Oh, and a house-made chocolate-covered cherry bonbon is the literal cherry on top. 

Make It:

Ingredients

• 1 oz. Mitchter’s American Whiskey
• 1 oz. Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 3/4 oz. La Fuerza Rojo Vermouth
• 1/4 oz. Tango Hotel Cherry Liqueur
• 1/4 oz. Tres Estrellas Mexican Cherry Liqueur
• 3 drops saline solution
• Chocolate bonbon (for garnish)

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Stir in all ingredients. Strain and serve in a rocks glass with a big ice cube. Garnish with the chocolate bonbon.

The Spot: Jolene Soundroom

The Drink: The Sticky Mango

Try It: I don’t know about you, but I want something refreshing, delicious, and easy-to-drink when I’m dancing until 4 a.m. The Sticky Mango at Jolene Soundroom (said to be located on the spot of gangster Al Capone’s liquor stock tunnel) is just that. Mango, lime leaves, coconut rice milk, Chinola Mango Liqueur, citrus, and Blanco tequila come together to make a true Miami margarita that’s sweet, spicy, and the perfect amount of tart. Add fresh mango as garnish, and it’s unrivaled. 

Make It:

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 oz.  Don Julio Blanco Tequila
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. lime leaf cordial (recipe below)
• 1 oz. mango coco rice milk (recipe below)
• 1/4 oz. Chinola Mango Liqueur
• Mango slice (for garnish)

Combine ingredients in a shaker and shake. Serve in a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a slice of fresh mango or dehydrated mango.

Lime Leaf Cordial Ingredients

• 1 cup agave
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup lime juice
• 10 g. dried lime leaves
• 1/4 cup Grand Marnier

Combine ingredients in a pot and bring to a low simmer. Turn off heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain and store for up to 3 weeks.

Mango Coco Rice Milk Ingredients

• 1 1/2  cups mango puree
• 1 cup unflavored and unsweetened rice milk
• 1 1/4 oz. can sweetened condensed coconut milk

Add ingredients to a Vitamix or a similar blender and blend on low. Store for up to a week.