5. Best newcomer: ViceVersa
Opened in 2024 in the lobby of Downtown Miami’s Elser Hotel, ViceVersa has already made a splash, taking the 56th spot in North America’s 100 Best Bars list. Gutierrez respects that owner and head bartender Valentino Longo makes his own Mi-To, a mix of Milan Campari and Turin vermouth that he uses as a base for the americano, the negroni and the negroni sbagliato. “His blend of Mi-To is unique… so every drink reads like a classic, but it’s his version of it.”
Gutierrez particularly loves Longo’s “real” negroni sbagliato, which, inspired by the OG negronis served at Bar Basso in Milan, Italy, is served in what Gutierrez describes as a “hysterically large type of champagne glass.”
The plain negroni is also a favourite. “The bar garnishes it with three different citruses – lemon, lime, and orange – and sprays it with an Italian osmanthus-type perfume. It’s very floral.”
Italian Futurism inspired the aperitivo bar’s eye-catching design, lending its intense colours and sharp edges to the space. “You forget you’re in a hotel’s lobby bar,” Gutierrez says. “It’s hip and modern.”
Website: https://viceversamia.com/
Address: 398 NE 5th St, Miami, FL 33132
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viceversamiami/
