Sayo "Chi" Anise on Chicago Cocktails and Intentional Hospitality

A World Made by Many

Meet Sayo "Chi" Anise, Viceroy Chicago's beverage director, and discover her approach to creative cocktails, teamwork, and hospitality.

The dark, lattice-sided John Hancock Center rises between leafy trees and a curved apartment building, with twin antennas against a blue sky.

Sayo has lived in Chicago for half a decade now, but she was introduced to the concept of hospitality early on in her life at family functions in Texas. Originally from the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands, her family treated rum and rum punch as rites of passage. She remembers her mom and sister greeting guests by asking them what they wanted to drink.

The hospitality roots were growing before Sayo even realized what was happening, and that instinct followed her through Austin, Houston and Dallas. A self-described “city girl,” Sayo eventually moved to Chicago, a place she practically landed by accident after spending years assuming she’d eventually move to New York. She had friends in Chicago, always heard good things and decided to make the move. It was her “happy medium,” she says, but the city has completely blown her away.

Hospitality Comes First at Viceroy Chicago

As beverage director at Viceroy Chicago, Sayo builds the beer, wine and cocktail menu for every outlet in the hotel, plans activations and teaches. But she is clear that the drink is never the destination. “I really just hope someone feels cared for when they experience my cocktails,” she says, adding that it’s all about hospitality. “It’s supposed to be intentional.” And ideally, a guest leaves the experience with a story or note to share with someone they love.

Sayo Anise, a Beverage Director in Chicago

Shaped by the seasons of Chicago, Sayo describes her experience in the city as one of contrast. “A big city with a small-town feel” with long winters and heavy summers. She describes the city’s heartbeat: “The train overhead, glasses clinking on a patio, a boat or jet ski passing by, bustling kitchens, an uproar of some sort over a sports game.”

A silver elevated train passes in front of ornate stone and pale façades of tall city buildings.

Classic Cocktails and New Chicago Flavors

And while Sayo admittedly has a soft spot for the classics, the duality of Chicago shows up behind the bar and on the menu. With Chicago-developed drinks like New York Sour, Malort remains a local staple she works with rather than around.

Sayo wishes more guests ordered a whisky sour with egg white, but she still pushes the menu towards what’s new, whether it’s a mezcal old fashioned or non-alcoholic drinks she’s become increasingly serious about because “there’s nothing to hide behind.” Her current favorite is a pandan drink with pandan, agave, honey and lemongrass, and now, she genuinely prefers it over the version with booze.

A woman in a beige coat and a cap reading “CHICAGO” stands among downtown buildings, with a glass tower and high-rise behind her.

A woman in a beige blazer and white cap sits by a window, looking down as she writes in an open notebook.

The Creative Team Behind Each Drink

But it’s not a solo craft. Sayo works with two bartenders she calls her “bar stars,” one built for volume and connecting with guests and the other a quieter, more meticulous presence who knows which ingredients play well together. The team also includes FMB managers, servers and the hotel’s chefs who help her understand how to use new ingredients. She calls it her “creative think tank.”

New seasonal cocktails hit the menu about once a month, and Sayo is deliberate about not moving faster than that. And while the work that most people associate with her job happens at night, she says the real process begins earlier in the day with a trip to her local coffee shop or the grocery store. All of it feeds the research and design meetings she has later in the day, in a kitchen full of syrups and half-finished experiments, long before the lights dim. Those labors of love, she says, bring more to the story behind every drink. Because of this ethos, Sayo sees her bar as more of a neighborhood fixture than a hotel amenity. Viceroy Chicago sits in the Gold Coast, and Sayo builds out her menu with an eye on the neighbors who are regulars just as much as the guests who pass through the hotel.

When you ask her what “A World Made By Many” means, she’ll define it as individuality brought together by unique experiences. Everybody has something to bring to the table, and that’s what creates a holistic experience. Chicago itself, she says, has made her more resilient and grounded, and she hopes guests leave with that same love for the city. “I hope people are surprised by how much Chicago can actually give you,” she says. “Something real, vibrant, generous, and completely its own.”

Sayo’s Chicago: Best Experienced by the Glass

If you’re curious about what Sayo is working on next, start with a seat at Pandan or Somerset. The best way to understand her approach is to let her team pour you something unexpected.

Drinks here follow the seasons. Sayo’s team is known for slipping pandan, lemongrass, and the occasional surprise into the mix — sometimes in a cocktail, sometimes not. The classics are always on hand, but there’s usually something on the menu you haven’t tried before, and that’s half the fun.

Ask what the team is pouring tonight. You might leave with a new favorite, or at least a good story.

Explore dining and drinks at Viceroy Chicago.

Three people talk at a bar counter lined with bottles, brass drinkware, and stools beneath hanging glass globe lights.

A World Made By Many: Join Sayo at Somerset

On November 6, 2026, at 7 PM, we're hosting A Night Made by Many at Somerset, an intimate four-course dinner in our Viceroy Spirited Series.

Sayo has chosen wines for each course — Champagne to start, expressive whites, a Rhône red with depth. The team will share the thinking behind each pairing. Dessert brings a cocktail that’s earned its place at the table, Sayo never lets the last glass be an afterthought.

If you’ve ever wondered why a certain wine makes a dish sing, this is your chance to find out. Bring your questions. We’ll handle the pairings.

Explore the dinner menu and reserve your seat.