Beyond the Strawberry Margarita
Miami bartenders put refreshing twists on the classics to appeal to tropical-cocktail-loving clients.
Miami is definitely known for its drinking culture. Even now, when customers must remain seated unless masked, Miami bars have remained busy. But although top-notch craft cocktail bars now dot the city, most guests prefer drinks that lean towards boozy and refreshing. This can frustrate the average bartender, who might want guests to step out of their comfort zones, learn about new spirits, or order anything but another strawberry margarita. But many bartenders have used this as an opportunity to serve cocktails that are both familiar and new. These drinks are purposefully approachable while sneakily broadening the bar-goer’s cocktail encyclopedia.
GOING COASTAL
At Little River’s upscale food hall, The Citadel, Bar Manager Rudy Abreu serves his riff on the Pegu Club (full recipe here), a gin-and-orange-liqueur-based tiki cocktail. But to adjust to Miami’s fruit-forward palate, Abreu adds local Chinola passionfruit liqueur and raspberry syrup. Although a Pegu is served straight-up, the Going Coastal is poured over crushed ice and topped with an umbrella and a dehydrated citrus wheel. “It’s always a fun time to really explain the cocktail and tell them that it’s from the ’30s,” Abreu says. “It transforms people’s mentality to really dive in and speak to the bartender. They’re like, ‘This is great, and I’ve never heard of it, so let’s try something else that I’ve never tried.’”
TEELING FLIP
Formerly of the SLS Brickell Miami and with a new place, Salvaje, in the works, Bartender Anthony Lopez has a fascination with the classics. “What I’ve seen in Miami is a lot of people need for you to make the classics approachable,” Lopez says. “I tried to present a whiskey sour in a way that’s not straight, lighter, and has a look that people want to see.” The Teeling Flip (full recipe here) takes all the elements of a whiskey sour—lemon, egg white, and whiskey (Lopez uses Teeling Irish.)—and freshens it up with honey citron tea and a splash of local Veza Sur Mangolandia blonde ale. Lopez pours the creamy, shandy-like drink into a chalice, assuring a gorgeous head.
FINO MARTINI
“This is the first time I’ve actually been able to convince people to drink martinis,” says Rising Star Bartender Will Thompson. At Jaguar Sun, Thompson’s cocktail menu reflected the consumer’s desire to drink something tropical and modern. But since Jaguar Sun reopened as the Sunny’s Someday Steakhouse pop-up at Lot 6, people have been ordering martinis and Manhattans galore. “People like to drink what they’re supposed to drink,” says Thompson. And at a steakhouse, you’re “supposed” to drink martinis and Manhattans. In creating the popular Fino Martini, he wanted to deliver something that was fitting to the theme while still being exciting. This takes shape as gin, fino Sherry, and a bit of clarified passionfruit for a clean, bright (unsweetened) lift.
MARKET JULEP #5
Since Over/Under opened in Downtown Miami, owner Brian Griffiths has had a Market Julep on the menu. “The julep is a cool way to utilize herbs and seasonal fruit and spice up a traditional cocktail,” Griffiths says. “It’s spirit-forward but also more refreshing and crushable than an old fashioned.” The fifth variation (full recipe here) features vanilla Angostura bitters, black-sapote-infused rye, and chocolate-mint syrup. Jam-packed with mint, Market Julep #5 has converted both mojito and old fashioned loyalists. But for Griffiths, changing the guest’s preferences isn’t the goal. “We’re making sure that people are drinking cocktails because they actually want it,” he says. “I want somebody that enjoys strawberry margaritas to take one step in another direction, but I also want them to know that it’s cool if they just want a strawberry margarita.”
