Joaquín Simó

Joaquín Simó has traveled a long way from his native Ecuador in his search for the perfect Daiquiri. Raised amongst Cuban family in Miami, he grew up eating fruits and vegetables from his grandfather’s farm and helping his father at his French bakery. His epicurean roots firmly established, Simó sought out new seasons in New England, graduating from Boston University with degrees in English and religion. He began tending bar in crowded college dives, raucous rock n’ roll bars, neighborhood restaurants, and trendy hot spots, all the while furthering his education on food, spirits, flavor combinations, and balance.

As part of the opening staff at New York City’s acclaimed cocktail bar Death & Co, Simó put his English major to good use as he cheerfully regaled customers with the colorful stories and the hallowed history of classic spirits and cocktails. Simó served as deputy editor for the 2009 and 2010 Food & Wine Cocktails books, contributing the Latin Drinks chapter and recipe-testing both books. In 2009, he was was awarded BAR Ready status following his completion of the BAR Five Day Intermediate Certificate Program, and was also named one of Playboy’s Top 10 Mixologists. A finalist at the 2011 Spirited Awards, Simó was awarded the 2012 Spirited Award as American Bartender of the Year. He has also served as a panelist at Tales of the Cocktail, the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, Bar Convent Berlin, London Cocktail Week, Copenhagen Spirits & Cocktail, Paris Cocktail Spirits, and Portland Cocktail Week.

Simó is a partner in Alchemy Consulting, working with such clients as Diageo, Pernod Ricard, and various hotel groups. Every so often, he even puts on his judgey pants as he evaluates the next generation of bar talent at regional, national, and global competitions like Heaven Hill Bartender of the Year, Diageo World Class, Bombay Sapphire Most Imaginative Bartender, and Lustau Solera Standout. Simó was last found behind the stick at Alchemy’s flagship New York City bar Pouring Ribbons, which opened in fall 2012 and closed in March 2022.