Albert Trummer: South Beach, Florida

Signature drink: the coconut grove (fresh Florida baby coconut juice, fresh key lime juice, Leblon cachaça, Depaz cane syrup, topped with a dash of Grand Marnier)

The phrase "bar chef" can be a little precious, but if anyone deserves the title, it is Albert Trummer, who has worked with some of America's most respected celebrity chefs. Born in Austria and trained in Europe, Trummer moved to the States in 1997 and absorbed some of David Bouley's fanaticism for fresh ingredients at Danube. He honed his bartending skills at Town, a fine-dining destination inside New York's Chambers Hotel. Some of Trummer's better-known, handcrafted concoctions have included "hot crocks" such as Christmas in Town (vanilla-spiced rum, pomegranate and fig steamed with an espresso machine) and the Vanilla Barbie (vodka, Navan liqueur, rhubarb puree, raspberry puree). Most recently, he created the beverage program at the new Evolution at the Ritz-Carlton in South Beach where he leans on exotic fruits fresh from the market. Of the many Cuba-related drinks he's developed, Trummer is especially keen on serving the Hemingway Special, made with homemade bitters, Guatemalan rum, lime juice and fresh sugarcane instead of sugar.

Photo: courtesy of Albert Trummer