In the shadow of Brooklyn’s looming brownstones, Kat Sobredilla works her alchemy. Her hands move with the practiced precision of a wise woman who has spent years perfecting their craft. She reaches for bottles not filled with artificially flavored syrups or processed sugars, but for vibrant seasonal ingredients that speak to both her Filipino heritage and her commitment to a healthier approach to the cocktail arts.

“I wish you could taste my cocktails,” she says, “because you can tell the difference. I think my signature cocktails are just a bit more delicate, not as spirit-forward. They’re just delicate and easy drinking.”

There’s something almost medicinal about Sobredilla’s work, not in the bitter-pill sense, but in the ancient, healing-arts tradition. She speaks about her ingredients the way a naturopath might discuss remedies: this one for hydration, that one to cool the body in summer heat, another to balance and center. But make no mistake, flavor remains her north star.

“Always flavor first,” she says. “I know not everyone’s going to like my cocktails, so for me, what’s important is that I stand by what I create, and I love it. It’s more about my memories and nostalgia more than anything.”

Island to Island to Island

Sobredilla’s journey to becoming one of New York’s most innovative mixologists began far from the concrete jungle. Born in the Philippines, she followed her parents to the Jersey Shore at age 7.

“I traded one island for another island, and it was vastly different,” she says, “but at least I was still by water.”

The cultural transplant brought with it new expectations and opportunities. 

“In Filipino culture, you’re either at school or you’re working,” she says. “It’s never both at the same time.” 

But the young Sobredilla would break that mold, becoming the first person in her family to work while going to school. By 17, she had landed her first job as a bus girl at an Italian restaurant run by club owners. She recalls nights playing poker with “cops, the mob and club owners” until 4 a.m., making it to the final table before her father came to collect her. 

“Guys,” she told the hardened gamblers, ” you don’t scare me. My parents do. So I have to go.”

Her bartending career began in her early 20s when she was thrown behind a bar during a busy night with no training, a trial by fire she describes as “survival of the fittest.”

“If I didn’t know a drink, I’d just make it pink,” she says. 

The real evolution of Sobredilla’s craft came when she arrived in New York seven years ago. Working at an eclectic array of bars ranging from German, Japanese, and Indian earned her the nickname “Epcot.” This multicultural immersion proved formative, allowing her to play with various ingredients while learning how to work and incorporate ingredients from chefs.

Grandmother’s Garden

If there’s a single thread running through Sobredilla’s approach to mixology, it’s her connection to the land, specifically, her grandparents’ farm in the Philippines.

“My grandparents were farmers, and I learned to love seasonal ingredients because I could use less sugar,” she says. “I play more on the delicate flavors.”

This agricultural upbringing led her to develop what might be called an intuitive sustainability. She uses what’s in season not just for flavor, but because it’s the right thing to do. When Sobredilla creates a cocktail, she’s not just thinking about the drink but the entire lifecycle of its ingredients.

“I’m so big on sustainability and using everything we possibly can of any ingredient,” she says. “I never think of just the ‘right now.’ I just want to set up this culture for whoever comes after us.”

This philosophy extends to her deliberate choice of ingredients that nurture rather than deplete the body. While she never sacrifices taste, Sobredilla has become something of a pioneer in incorporating ingredients that offer health benefits alongside their flavor profiles.

“Aloe is probably one of my favorites, just for the hydration process and what it adds in a cocktail,” she says. Other staples in her arsenal include goji berries for skin health, numerous varieties of tea for their delicate flavors and apple cider vinegar-based shrubs that aid digestion while providing bright, complex notes.

The Cultural Alchemist

Sobredilla subtly weaves her Filipino heritage into unexpected contexts, like slipping calamansi (a Filipino citrus that “tastes like a lemon, lime and orange put together”) into Italian bar programs, or incorporating ube (purple yam) and pandan into French establishments long before they became trendy.

“My biggest thing is culture,” she says. “I’m Filipino, so I try to put in a bit of my culture in what I do. And I think that the best way to really honor my culture is to put it in little hints with the Italian restaurant bar program or the Korean bar program.”

This cross-cultural pollination creates unexpected harmonies. When creating a cocktail to honor her grandmother, Sobredilla incorporated ingredients from the farms her grandmother tended: using flavors of rice, tobacco, and sugarcane. The result is a clarified horchata that can showcase whiskey rather than the traditional rum.

“I would infuse it for two days with the rice, cinnamon, cloves, and one star anise,” she says., “Then I blend it all together about two days after, and I clarify it with sweet condensed milk.” 

The finishing touch? A corn tea foam on top. 

“It is such a game changer,” she says, “just because of the mouth feel too.”

The Art of the Pop-up

In January 2023, Sobredilla and sommelier Eun Hee Kwon launched an ambitious series of pop-up events that would quickly become the hottest ticket in New York’s culinary scene. Their formula was deceptively simple: combine Sobredilla’s cocktail wizardry with Kwon’s wine expertise, bring in rotating guest chefs, and create an experience that feels like “opening up our own bar restaurant in one day and calling it a night.”

Their first event sold out immediately. By their third, tickets were gone within five minutes. Their most recent pop-up attracted over 100 guests, all eager to experience the magic that happens when two experts curate not just drinks, but an entire community experience.

“It was just so nice seeing the community we’ve built and hearing that they’re all still hanging out or going out to dinners together,” Sobredilla says. “We were very mindful of who sat next to who, the different energies, and how everyone would fit well together. We created that vibe and an energy of almost having this family dinner.”

The Secret Garden

When asked about her bourbon creations, Sobredilla describes a cocktail called “The Secret Garden,” a twist on a classic that exemplifies her approach.

“I make a rose, green tea and mint syrup,” she says. “It’s great because the mint, green tea and rose are all in season. The syrup pairs so well with the bourbon.”

The final touch? Instead of Angostura bitters, she uses cardamom. 

“Even the aromatics of it changes it,” she says. “It’s still the same classic breakdown but has more of the florals, the teas, the mint which all create a freshness.”

That layered approach to flavor is Sobredilla’s hallmark. Every ingredient has its purpose, every combination tells a story, often one tied to her own experiences and memories.

“When I’m making something, I’m thinking about a memory had as a kid, and basing drinks off of that is one of my favorite things,” she says. “For instance, the first time I had a root beer float in America was just a game changer. I incorporate that experience into a cocktail.”

Generation Next

At 38, Sobredilla stands at an interesting crossroads between generations. She notes with amusement the difference between her generation’s approach to drinking and that of the more health-conscious Gen Z.

“Going out with chefs who are Gen Zs, they have one or two drinks, they’re done,” she says. “Normally, chefs could go one-on-one with the bar, and sometimes they could outdrink us. But now they’re being mindful.”

This generational shift underscores the prescience of Sobredilla’s approach. As she puts it, the health and wellness and hospitality industry have to meet each other in order to go with the change.

It’s a transition she’s willing to navigate, especially as she prepares to open her own low-ABV concept in spring 2025. In the meantime, she continues to develop beverage programs for venues like Gugu Room, the first Filipino bar she ever worked at, coming full circle in her journey. 

She also planned a special Women’s History Month pop-up in March, curating the best female mixologists in New York City while emphasizing women-owned brands and products in her programs.

“There are some things that we can’t change in life,” she says, “but I can always change what I want around me.”

Sobredilla’s passion for her craft is evident in how she creates drinks that honor tradition while pushing boundaries, respect both the body and the planet, and that, above all, transform memories into experiences that can be shared.

There’s a certain alchemy to it all. Just as her grandmother once transformed simple ingredients from the farm into something nourishing, Sobredilla transforms spirits and seasonal bounty into liquid stories waiting to be told. 

And in a world increasingly concerned with what we put into our bodies, her approach feels not just innovative, but necessary. It’s a blueprint for how tradition and progress can coexist in the same beautiful glass.

Featured photo by Dre