Bartender John Lermayer found dead aged 45

07 June, 2018

By Shay Waterworth

Bartending icon and bar owner John Lermayer, was found dead in his apartment on Miami Beach on the evening of June 6, aged 45.

Lermayer is best known for opening Sweet Liberty in Miami, which placed 27th in The World’s 50 Best Bars in 2017.

The cause of death is unknown and Lermayer leaves behind a 15-year-old son.

I have no words. The great John Lermayer has passed away. I love that man. He is as kind and wonderful as anybody I've ever met. How does the world fill the space he leaves behind...?
— Doug Frost (@winedogboy) 7 June 2018

Lermayer moved from New York to Miami in 2004 and is widely respected as a key player in the cocktail renaissance in Miami Beach.

Sweet Liberty was opened in 2015 and awarded the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar last year.

Social media posts have been barring the words “Pursue Happiness” in respects to the late bartender, a slogan which famously covered the main wall of Sweet Liberty.