Congratulations to Jessenia Sanabria of Sweet Basil, the 2024 MICHELIN Guide Colorado Exceptional Cocktails Award Winner!
Sanabria is Managing Partner of Operations at Sweet Basil, a Vail favorite for nearly 50 years. Beginning her career at age 17 in Miami, she discovered a passion for cocktails and bartending. Moving to the Sweet Basil family of restaurants in 2017, Sanabria quickly impressed multiple generations of guests with her delicious creations. Today, with the support of Beverage Manager Bru Phillips, she focuses on spotlighting local partners and incorporating new ingredients, while never sacrificing originality.
Learn more about Sanabria’s journey in the industry and her favorite drinks below. Cheers!
How were you introduced to the world of cocktails?
I went to college in Miami and stayed. The late 2000s was when cocktails started evolving in Miami. We would visit each other's bars often, and everyone would be like, “try this new gin, try this new vodka, try this with this.” Learning the intricacies of blending things just like you would in food was such a huge start to my career in the world of liquors and cocktails. I got to spend so much time with such amazing bartenders.
What’s the biggest misconception about mixology or cocktails in general?
Overthinking it. That you need a million ingredients. Simple and classic is just as good as complicated and diverse. You don't have to overcomplicate it. You can easily have a simple cocktail. You can have whatever you have, when you want it. There are no rules.
What are you drinking these days?
Gin and tequila. It's summertime here. You want something a little more hydrating and refreshing, so gins are always on the top of that spectrum. Tequilas are absolutely growing. It's harder in a mountain town, but they've been growing significantly.
Another big one is the non-alcoholic movement, imbibing on fun, delicious, refreshing things that don't have alcohol. Keeping that fresh and creative is a fun challenge.
What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink?
I'm really big into tonics. We have a couple tonics here in house that are from Lost Identity and I like mixing those with sodas or ginger beer or experimenting with lime juice, whatever syrups we have in house. It’s a fun way to have a refreshing cocktail and not worry about picking up kids from school later.
How have your cocktail tastes changed over the years?
I've always been of the mindset that cocktails or beers don't have a gender. You can drink whatever you enjoy when you want it.
I spent a lot of years bartending, and I never really had a niche or anything. I've always been very well versed and open minded about cocktails and drinks in general. I enjoy drinking, and I enjoy pairing things, so it's always been a fun game to me.
What’s your ideal meal and pairing?
We started this Elegance at Elevation program, where it's not just a wine pairing menu – it's also cocktails paired with that menu.
One of them, we call it a Sambuca Shaker, is an Ouzo-type cocktail paired with our whipped feta. Maybe the Greeks did it right. They figured out that Ouzo and Greek whipped cheese really go well together.
Another one is a dessert. We whipped up this cocktail, which was just cognac, Pineau des Charentes, and a little bit of honey syrup, and it went really well with one of our dessert pairings, the lemon and fennel.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a position like yours?
It's an ever-evolving industry. There are so many factors, things to learn, and many new things coming onto the market continually.
You have to be hungry, and you have to be willing to know that you can learn something, and then a month later, things change drastically, or they change the rules on you. It's important to talk about it with your guests as well, because you learn so much from them too.
Hero image: Sara Ostrand / Chris Bru Phillips and Jessenia Sanabria
