Bartender Showcase
Meet the Bar Meisters from across the nation
Shauna O'Neil
Welcome to Bartender Showcase featuring Miami native, the one and only Shauna O'Neil! Bartender Showcase brings the best bartending talent from across the country. These passionate and gifted artists are leaders within the industry and are educating and inspiring through their shaker tins.
- Press play on Shauna's Spotify playlist & enjoy the tunes.
- Learn about Shauna's Miami-inspired cocktail below.
Shauna's Spotify playlist & inspiration
For my playlist, I chose a few songs that play in my head when I think of Miami. An eclectic array of diverse and tropical tunes. I hope you enjoy it!
I'm Shauna O'Neil, and this is my Behind the Shot playlist.
Enjoy!
Winter in Miami
Created by Shauna O'Neil
Photo by Shauna O'Neil
What do you love about your city?
Miami is so culturally diverse it is a melting pot of various countries from all over the world. What makes Miami so unique is that it is considered a major city, but in reality, we are just a series of small islands, which is cool because it keeps that small beach town tropical vibe with nightlife. Miami is definitely very unlike any city in the US, and I absolutely love it here.
Cocktail Inspiration:
Seeing as I am a Miami native, I figured the best representation of me would be to highlight my roots. My favorite part about this city is the cultural diversity so coming up with a drink was quite easy in terms of ingredients. When I think of winter cocktails, I think of flips, coquito, and other generally heavy and rich cocktails. I decided to make a flip, and choosing Guinness for my flip was a no-brainer, seeing as my mother is from Ireland; the absinthe rinse is also in homage to the licorice candies her siblings used to send around the holidays. My father is also a Miami native, so I threw in some banana liqueur and overproof rum to represent the tropical aspect of Miami. When I think of winter, I also think of allspice, and with that last addition, plus a whole egg, all the flavors combine beautifully for a delectable holiday sipping.
Cocktail Name: Winter in Miami
Name: Shauna O'Neil
Recipe:
- 2 parts Guinness
- 1 part Jägermeister
- ½ part overproof rum
- ¾ part banana liqueur
- Barspoon allspice dram
- Absinthe rinse
- Whole egg
- 2 dash chocolate bitters
- 1 dash angostura bitters
Glass: Coupe
Garnish: Grated Nutmeg
Method: Shake all ingredients very hard with ice, strain, and dry shake. Spray a coupe with Absinthe, then fine-strain the cocktail into the glass and grate some nutmeg on top.
If you’ve ever visited Sweet Liberty, then you probably know exactly who Shauna O’Neil is — she’s hard to miss as she’s one of the award-winning bar’s OG bartenders and bar managers. In 2019, Miami New Times named her one of Miami’s Top Ten Bartenders. And in 2022, she was nominated as one of the top 10 bartenders in the United States. Her extensive knowledge of spirits should come as no surprise since she credits the great John Lermayer as the best mentor she could ever have. She genuinely loves hospitality and is excited to continue growing in this industry.
Tips & Tricks
Dark malty beer or porter will suffice if you cannot acquire Guinness. I recommend giving one hard shake with ice and then following up with a dry shake to get that nice foamy head on top of the cocktail.
