Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale photo
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A James Beard–nominated Miami aperitivo bar — that is currently ranked number 56 on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025 — has just landed in Fort Lauderdale this month, just in time for the holidays.
Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale has launched its first-ever bar residency, and it has recruited one of Miami’s most beloved new bars to do it. ViceVersa, the Italian-style aperitivo bar led by bartender Valentino Longo, is serving drinks nightly inside the hotel’s lobby until May 2026.
This is the Michelin-recognized bar’s first pop-up outside of Miami, and choosing Fort Lauderdale is a significant milestone. Within the past six months, the city has been recognized by the Florida Michelin Guide for the first time, with MAASS earning a Michelin star and Evelyn’s receiving a feature — both of which are located inside the Four Seasons.
Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale photo
The Fort Lauderdale Residency
The residency introduces a cocktail menu called Vacanza, inspired by the Italian idea of vacation as a mindset. The menu includes ViceVersa signatures alongside drinks created exclusively for Fort Lauderdale.
Standouts include the “Martini Doppio,” a Gibson-style martini with Grey Goose or Bombay Sapphire, Americano Rosa, Tio Pepe, and pickled onions, and the “ViceVersa Negroni” made with Bombay Sapphire and the bar’s Mi To amaro blend. Fort Lauderdale exclusives include the “Beeswax Old Fashioned” and two spritzes made exclusively for the hotel: the “White Wine Spritz,” featuring Italicus, peach, white wine, elderberry, and soda, and “Coast to Coast,” a spritz with Aperol, toasted coconut, and Prosecco.
Rosy Villanova leads the bar day to day, with Longo appearing on select dates. DJs take over on Fridays and Saturdays.
R.C. Visuals photo
ViceVersa’s Miami Roots
ViceVersa opened in downtown Miami, inside the Elser Hotel, in June 2024, founded by Valentino Longo in partnership with Carey Hynes and Will Thompson, formerly of Jaguar Sun. Longo is a Rome native who worked at Stravinskij Bar at Hotel de Russie and luxury hotel bars in London before opening his own spot in Miami.
The bar quickly established itself as a serious Italian-style aperitivo spot with a loyal following among the industry. With its intimate, teal-toned interiors and a menu centered around spritzes, Negroni variations, and pizza, it has become both a pregame stop and a late-night anchor for locals who know their cocktails.
People started paying attention almost immediately. Within a year, it landed a finalist spot for the 2025 James Beard Award for Best New Bar, and climbed to No. 56 on North America’s 50 Best Bars list.
Now, they are bringing that same energy to the Fort Lauderdale residency, where the focus remains on lower-proof, bittersweet cocktails meant to complement the night rather than take over.
ViceVersa at Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale. 525 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; fourseasons.com/fortlauderdale.
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