Picture of Bartender JP Belonni

Meet Jean Pierre Belonni

Personality & Passion

My cocktail program uses fresh ingredients from local farmers and lots of creativity. These are my keys to a great cocktail:

  • Fresh Ingredients
  • Presentation: it has to be visually appealing and make you take a picture of it
  • Story: Anyone can make a beautiful cocktail but not everyone can tell a good story
  • Taste: The Cocktail has to taste great. We can play with flavors but always make sure that the cocktail is drinkable. It has to make the guest want another one. This is the good part, either the guest likes it and wants another one or they trust me, their bartender to make them something different but just as good as the first one!
Three examples of creative cocktails made for @SpiritedSFL

Interview

Years ITB: 15 Years
Current Role: Assistant Food & Beverage / Bar Manager at the Ritz Carlton South Beach
Motto: Work in your passion, love what you do and keep growing your knowledge. Sky is the limit!

Read the latest issue of Go Riverwalk Magazine for Jean Pierre’s SIPs interview.

Favorite Cocktail

Ponche or the Old Fashioned. These cocktails let me play in so many ways: the spirits, the sweetner, the fruits, the bitters, the ice. 

Essential Bar Tool

A Jigger. It helps with the consistency of the drink. Once the cocktail menu is ready and recipes are done, the jigger is the only thing that will help all the bartenders to make the same cocktail all the time.

What’s Trending 

My favorite trend is sustainability. People in the industry are trying to find ways to take the most from a product and prevent food waste. It’s awesome to see how much you can do with a fruit and how much it helps the business in cost and how you are different from the other bars. 

Known For

I have been known for my personality. Always a smile and very passionate about what I do. When I have a conversation with my guest, they can feel how much I love what I do. The same passion is in my service and makes my guest trust me with their cocktails, even if they have a recipe from their home.

Must Have Ingredient

Oranges. They have the perfect acidity and flavor for any cocktail that you can drink all day. You eat it for breakfast, mix in a drink, use it as a garnish, etc. There are so many ways to use it, that for me is the perfect ingredient.

This Time Next Year

 I will be sipping some of my own blended rum. I created a recipe and next year will be 2 years that’s in the barrel. It’s getting better with time, so I’m  pretty hyped for it.

Featured Cocktail: Classic Daiquiri 

Rum • Sugar • Lime. Three simple ingredients make this cool cocktail a staple in South Florida. How these ingredients are mixed and garnished set this cocktail apart. Jean Pierre used my favorite, a special edition expression of Papa’s Pilar Dark Rum. After Solera aging in American oak bourbon barrels, port wine casks and Spanish Sherry casks, it is further aged in bourbon barrels. The extra aging adds a spicy finish. 

Awards & Accolades

  • 2013 3rd Place Pan American Bartender Competition, Puerto Rico
  • 2016 Master of the Craft – South Florida Champion
  • 2018 Beverage Trainer Dorado Beach Ritz Carlton Reserve, Puerto Rico
  • 2019 Beverage Trainer Zadún Ritz Carlton Reserve, Cabo San Lucas – Baja California, Mexico
  • 2019 1st Place Rum Haven Summer Bartender Competition
  • 2019 1st Place Glendalough Fire & Ice Bartender Competition

Interviewer: Renée Korbel Quinn, Spirited South Florida

Strategist | Writer | Supporter @cocktailr @SpiritedSFL #getspiritedsouthflorida #cocktailrs #downtownftlgirl

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