Helena Jose

Rodrigo Tubert is one of a kind person in front of and behind the bar. As a multi award-winning Argentinean bartender, he has been a captivating presence in the Miami hospitality scene for two years. Not only has Rodrigo been a stand out among those he serves, but also he has received official recognition. Rodrigo has been awarded Best Bartender in Argentina and Most Imaginative Bartender for Latin America and the Caribbean. He also recently received the “Best Miami Cantinero” award. In addition to these illustrious accolades, he holds the honor of representing iconic brands like Bombay Sapphire and Chivas Regal. Rodrigo is currently using his wonderful talents as the bar manager for Orilla which is a celebrated bar and grill restaurant in Miami. Under Rodrigo’s direction, Orilla has been nominated for Tale of the Cocktails’s Best Hotel Bar in the U.S. His charismatic personality and infectious energy make him as lovable and memorable as the experience of being served by him.

Tell us about your beginnings in the Hospitality industry?

Ever since I was a child I’ve always been super interested in the hospitality industry. I was one of those kids that followed the waiters to the kitchen just to see “the magic happen.” My parents weren’t surprised when I took a part-time server job while I was still studying chemistry in college.

How long have you been a bartender?

After a beautiful succession of amazing coincidences I started working behind the bar 11 years ago. I completely fell in love with it: the freedom to exploit my creativity and the power of changing somebody’s day with just a cocktail and a smile amazed me. I still have the same childish excitement every time I see a customer come back to the bar.

What’s your favorite part of your role? Creation? Education?

I think my favorite part of it is that it’s a beautiful and balanced combination of all those things. This profession lets you not only be as creative as you can be but also you can input different passions of yours into it in a really clean and natural way. For example, I’m really passionate about chemistry and science but I could never spend my days in a lab, so I input my chemistry knowledge, in as many ways as I can, in my cocktail programs. Also, there’s the human factor. I love being a host and doing my best to exceed our customers’ needs and helping make a memorable moment. Recently, I’ve found that education gives me a lot of satisfaction too. I’ve founded a bartending academy called “Sin Chamuyo” ( that translates to “no lies” ) where I teach home bartenders, professional mixologists and even master distillers the art of mixing drinks. We created a beautiful community that expands every day and fills me with a lot of joy.

How was your transition moving into Miami and not knowing anybody? 

Who doesn’t love a good challenge? I’d be lying if I said that it was easy. It wasn’t easy, but America has always been THE authority in cocktail making and I wanted to experience that myself. I left everything behind, not only family and friends but also a lifetime of awards and reputation. During that time, I was awarded “Best Bartender in Argentina,” “Best Bar Team,” and won “Most Imaginative Bartender in Latin America & The Caribbean,” so the decision was hard to make. I’ve always trusted my gut so when the opportunity appeared, I did not hesitate.   Even though I didn’t know anybody, Miami’s bartender community welcomed me with open arms. I can’t ever be grateful enough to this industry and the amazing people that helped me along the way. I’ve found a new family many miles away from home.

As the Bar Manager in Orilla, what have been the biggest challenges that you have encountered?

As I said before, I love challenges and, in the first months, I had to learn a lot, not only about laws and regulations but also adapting myself to a different culture.

After only 2 years, Orilla was recently nominated for Tales of the Cocktails for Best US hotel bar. How do you feel about it? What other achievements have you accomplished?

It’s been an amazing journey and we love to see that our customers and the press and these incredible organizations recognize our hard work. I won a couple of recognitions like the “Cantinero award” by Bacardí and the “Danielle’s choice” at Art of Tiki. With Orilla, we’ve been selected as one of the best Bars in South Beach and one of the best martinis in the city by The Infatuation, but this recognition by Tales of The Cocktail left me speechless. It’s an amazing feeling to see the results of your and your team’s hard work and passion for this project. We want to keep working on delivering exceptional drinking experiences while maintaining the impeccable service that our guests appreciate so much.

What are your next goals? personals and leading Orilla?

With Urbanica The Hotels, we recently opened Editor Pizza, a fantastic “Brooklyn style” pizzeria that I’m super excited about and we have at least two more projects coming soon, be ready because they are going to be amazing. On a personal note, there are beautiful things coming but I prefer not to talk too much before they become a reality. They are going to include amazing cocktails, science and education. I can’t say anything else.

For more updates about Rodrigo Tubert or Orilla, follow him and his journey on Instagram @tubert and @orilla.miami.