Born and raised in Norway, Kristine Gutierrez had “a very nontraditional journey to the bar,” to hear her tell it. She started out, appropriately enough, at the Nordic restaurant Aquavit in New York City as a host in 2013, which is when she says her love for the industry began. A year later she joined The NoMad, where she remained for six years as “director of magic” and maître d’. “During the pandemic I went back to Oslo and worked as maitre d’ for Maaemo, Norway’s only three Michelin-starred restaurant at the time,” she says. She returned to New York in 2021 and continued in guest relations for a couple of years before pivoting. “I became general manager at Mister Paradise, a cocktail bar helmed by ex-NoMaders— the owners specifically wanted a non-bartender as GM,” she says. “I shut down any imposter syndrome and took the job. I loved the bar world and fell in love again.” Though she wasn’t a bartender, her new job included travel and doing guest bar shifts at spots all around the world. “It made me realize I wanted to own a bar,” she says.

That opportunity arose in 2025 when Gutierrez met Alex Tangen, owner of the Nordic cocktail bar Kabin. “Alex is Norwegian, like me, and we fit each other’s needs and hopes for the business, which had been open six or seven months at that point,” Gutierrez says. She joined Kabin as general manager and partner in February 2025. She also serves as beverage director and creates most of the cocktails ($18-$32), which have a unifying theme. “We created a fake airline for our cocktail menu called Nordic Air & Travel— the idea is that you can travel to the Nordics with these drinks,” Gutierrez says. The menu features such cocktails as the Kaffepause ($21) and Free Healthcare ($20). “I’m proud of our cocktail menu: the design, the concept, the storytelling,” Gutierrez adds. “It’s my love letter to Norway.”