This story originally appeared in our August 19 – September 1, 2026 print edition. Check out the edition online here and find where you can get a print edition near you here.
Kiki Hunter Avalos-Gould (she/they) is at the top of her game.
Her creativity and talent have earned Avalos-Gould recognition on national and international stages, both for the drinks she creates and the expertise she brings to the craft.
She’s currently the lead bartender at Fifty Fifty Gin Club, located at 35 13th St. E in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. She’s also the catering manager in charge of HomeMakers Bar and Eat Well Catering’s partnership. They’ve worked under owner Julia Petiprin for the past five years.
Her work has gotten them national and global recognition. In 2024, she won the U.S. Tastemaker of the Year title during the United States Bartenders’ Guild World Class Top 30 competition. That same year, they advanced to the national finals as one of the Top 30 bartenders in the United States in the Diageo World Class competition, one of the most prestigious global bartending competitions. In 2025, Avalos-Gould landed a judging spot for the Bartender Spirits Awards.
Their first bartending job was at Catskeller, the student bar on the University of Cincinnati’s campus. After graduating from the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning with a BFA in fine arts in 2013, she spent some time bartending in Northside before transitioning into fine dining.
Naturally, she takes a gourmet approach in her creative process.
“I really like learning weird culinary practices,” they said. “I learned how to do a lot of molecular gastronomy. It’s like messing with the structure of the items.”
Curiosity and a thirst for knowledge drive their passion.
“I love just learning,” they said.
Recently, they’ve become known for developing culinary and beverage menus while curating intimate, limited-seat omakase pairing experiences. These usually come to life after Avalos-Gould asks her managers if they’ll let her pursue their “weird idea.”
“She should have a James Beard Award,” Petiprin said.
As Avalos-Gould continues to push the cocktail scene forward, she’s also thinking about their own future and surprisingly, it isn’t behind a bar.
“I romanticize the idea of making this pivot to being a morning person as opposed to a nighttime person,” she said. “I’m definitely interested in becoming a pastry chef.”
In a perfect world, Avalos-Gould’s work will evolve into a role that isn’t locked down to one or two spaces.
“It’s being kind of like a pop-up person who gets to do high concept stuff and then be done with it and move on to a new idea.”
In the meantime, stop by Fifty Fifty or HomeMakers, and Avalos-Gould and her team will take good care of you.
Curry Wallbanger
- 2 oz of acid adjusted orange juice (or alternatively, 1.5 oz fresh orange juice, 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice)
- 0.5 oz simple syrup
- 0.5 oz madras curry infused Galliano liqueur
- 2 oz bison grass vodka
- Shake and strain into a chilled Collins glass that has been half-rimmed with everything bagel seasoning
- Top with Hazy IPA
This story is part of CityBeat’s latest cover package celebrating the people behind Cincinnati’s cocktail scene. Meet more of the city’s standout bartenders and read the full story here.
This article appears in August 19 – September 1, 2026.
