Acclaimed bartender Valentino Longo has teamed up with the team behind Jaguar Sun to open his dream bar with major Italian influences in every detail, from its small plates and delicious neo-Neapolitan Italian pizzas (more on this later) to its Italian-inspired cocktails with imported ingredients. The bar’s name was inspired by the sentiment that there is "no right time for aperitivo," which is a pre-meal drink meant to open one's tastebuds. An aperitivo can be enjoyed at the beginning of the day or even late in the evening.
And just how the bar stays true to its aperitivo motto, the bar aims to be as authentic as possible. This is why in each hand-crafted cocktail by Longo and his team, guests will find Italian spirits, vermouths, bitters, and amari, as well as seasonal ingredients. Plus, Longo leaned on the Italian futuristi artists who played a small, but vital role in spirits and cocktails in the early 1900s. According to Longo, they were the artists who designed the popular posters, advertisements, and products of famed Italian brands such as Campari and Martini & Rossi back in the day. Therefore, guests will see nods to this design scheme in the bar’s logo and uniforms, as well as the menu design and the wall art, which were created by modern-day Italian futurist artist Jean Vaquier (also known as Folzer).
Longo’s approach to crafting cocktails focuses on how complexity can be achieved through simple techniques and ingredients. He's created 14 cocktails for ViceVersa.
Photo R.C. Visuals
A Master of The Cocktail Craft
With more than 20 years of hospitality experience, Longo’s journey started at the Hotel de Russie’s landmark Stravinskij Bar in his native city of Rome, leading him to London to work at lauded hotel bars, including the Corinthia and the Ritz London. Years later, Longo returned to his hometown of Rome to devise the bar programs for La Moderna, where he was tapped by the owners to expand the brand to Miami. Seven years later, Longo has has become one of Miami’s leading bartenders, widely known for being the opening head bartender of the Champagne Bar at the Four Seasons at the Surf Club. In 2020, he was named Bombay Sapphire’s Most Imaginative Bartender.Longo’s approach to crafting cocktails focuses on how complexity can be achieved through simple techniques and ingredients. With this lens, he’s developed 14 cocktails in three unique categories for ViceVersa: the "Negroni Family," "Martinis," and "Signature Cocktails." The "Negroni Family" menu begins with a housemade ViceVesrsa MI-TO enhanced with forced-carbonated Americano, (MI-TO refers to the Milano-Torino origins of an Americano, a dolce amaro blend). Additionally, guests will find a "Sbagliato with Franciacorta," a classic negroni with Bombay Sapphire, and a negroni punch with gin and seasonal fruits that can serve four guests.
Select martinis include a variation of a classic dry martini dubbed the "Avanguardia" with Bombay Premier Cru, dry sherry, marsala, makrut, and Cocchi dry vermouth; and the affogato martini, a play on the espresso martini with espresso, Grey Goose vodka, coffee liquor, toasted coconut, and a scoop of pistachio gelato. Bartender favorites among the signature cocktails include the "Italian-VICE" made with Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, lemon sorbet, Wódka vodka, diamante cedro, and Pellegrino grapefruit; the "Brucio in Bocca," a twist on a spicy margarita that elevates Cocchi Vermout Torino over silver agave tequila and incorporates a Barolo marmalade alongside pineapple, agave, and a red wine-salt rim; and the "Veloce," a force-carbonated creation with orange wine, mezcal, Aperol and grapefruit oil.
ViceVersa's neo-Neapolitan pizzas are made with daily-stretched mozzarella and local flours that undergo a 24-to-48-hour cold fermentation process.
Photo by Cleveland Jennings
This is How You Aperitivo Like An Italian
Complementing the ViceVersa cocktail experience are dishes led by the Jaguar Sun team that allow for any type of evening, from a few light bites to a substantial meal with a group of friends. Like the cocktails, Jaguar Sun’s Chefs Carey Hynes and Justin Flit have created dishes centered on simplicity and quality.Guests may choose from Treasure Coast oysters with citrus mignonette, royal red shrimp with cherry bomb relish, a tuna tartare with pistachio and green olive, and a mussel escabeche with charred leek aioli and potato chips. Appetizers include a wood-fired flatbread with chicken fat, chives, and cultured butter, a housemade culatello, a coppa, a green salad, or a caesar salad with Cantabrian anchovies and aged parmesan.
However, the real star of the show is the bar's neo-Neapolitan pizza made with daily-stretched mozzarella and local flours that undergo a 24-to-48-hour cold fermentation. Unlike classic Neapolitan pizzas, this style of pizza adheres to rules that aren’t as strict as the Neapolitan rules, therefore, some chefs take creative license to switch things up a bit. These pizzas are usually cooked in an oven set between 700 to 730 degrees Fahrenheit for upwards of two and a half minutes. Options include a clam pizza with white sauce, Middleneck clams, lemon, and scallion, the "Bad First Date" pizza made with tomato sauce, taleggio, and pepperoncini, and the "Sopressata" made with tomato sauce, Thai chili, and hot honey. An assortment of housemade gelato spun daily, and sorbet are available, as well.
ViceVersa is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight. Most of the seats, including all at the bar, will be first-come, first-served, with limited reservations available in advance via Resy.com.
ViceVersa. 398 NE Fifth St., Miami, adjoining the Elser Hotel; viceversamia.com.
