Dry Goods, Warm Hearts at Lost Boy

Joe Cole is a bartender.

He’s not a mixologist, not an apothecary and not an artisanal cocktail crafter. He has a warm smile framed by a flowing white wizard’s bea

Somehow, he manages to be everywhere at once, making all the folks who walk into his establishment a little bit happier for having found their way there. He’s not the owner of Lost Boy Dry Goods, but this downtown Miami bar, located at 157 E Flagler St., feels like his place. Let the sticklers worry about names on deeds; the epicurean Biscayne Tippler appreciates seeing a master at work.

“I love lawyers,” Cole said as he was tending to his newest batch of regulars.

The group is outfitted in professional attire and apparently walked down the block from the courthouse shortly after noon.

“Until 3 o’clock, it’s nothing but the courthouse,” said Cole. “They’ll come in, get a cocktail, and then go right back out and represent people for the rest of the day.”

The environment is so stress-free. In fact, it’s so anti-stress that it’s not hard to believe the counselors do a better job after being refreshed by a visit here. To start with, Lost Boy is close to the very heart of the city of Miami, nestled under the elegant art deco facade of the Alfred I. duPont Building.

Once inside the door, visitors are greeted by another slice of local history: a ceiling beam bearing a sign that reads, “La Época Warehouse.” Back when Miami was noted for its garment district, this was a clothing store and then a denim shop. The old fabric shelves now hold bottles and glasses behind the bar, and a railing high along the back wall is covered by a row of knitted scarves, each bearing the logo of someone’s favorite soccer team. Like an old pair of jeans, it’s cozy.

Deep Roots

Lost Boy was co-founded by Randy Alonso, whose grandfather and great-uncle ran La Época as a business in Havana before coming to Florida and starting it again in the duPont Building.

Alonso grew up like many Miamians did, wondering why the very center of downtown was so busy during the day and so empty at night. At first, he and his brother tried continuing the family fashion business with a boutique store, Lost Boy Dry Goods, in the same location. But by 2017, the retail landscape had changed so much, the family was forced to close their department store and the two-year-old denim shop along with it.

Rather than give up on the location, Alonso teamed up with a friend who’d come up in the hospitality business, Chris Hudnall, who’d worked his way from teen-age busser to bartender to hotel manager to North American director of bars at Soho & Co. In 2018, the two turned the former denim store into a local watering hole.

Today the two operate Miami’s fastest-growing hospitality group, Lost Boy & Co., which has opened the Miami Beach Andalusian restaurant and gin bar Tropezón, South Miami’s Fox’s Lounge, and Mayfair Grill and Sipsip in Coconut Grove’s Mayfair House Hotel & Garden. They’ve also got plans underway for two more openings in coming months: the New Orleans-style restaurant Joliet and the dive bar Brother’s Keeper in Miami Beach.

Lost Boy Dry Goods, where it all began, is getting a face-lift of its own, as Flagler Street is slowly being converted into a pedestrian-friendly boulevard between Biscayne to the county courthouse. For now, the construction has made getting in and out of Lost Boy a little tricky. But once the project is completed, the bar is likely to become regarded as a cornerstone of a new cultural zone.

And until then, they’re still hosting live bands, watching soccer games with fans and serving some decent drinks. Consider swinging by after attending Miami Book Fair downtown this November.

“A big favorite right now is an espresso martini that we make with CBD oil. People love it, and they do order one and then get really relaxed,” said Cole with a laugh. “The Spicy Siesta is another popular one. It’s basically like a Campari margarita, made with agave and fire tincture.”

The bar’s collection of spirits is intriguing, and the menu features new offerings that change with the seasons.

Seasonal Spirits

One seasonal drink Cole is pouring is The Walden, a bright green concoction that’s made with whiskey and a Mexican corn liqueur. Another is the very autumnal Apple Orchard, which is what he calls it, also known as a Manzana & Rooibos, which is how it appears on the menu. If your Afrikaans pronunciation isn’t the greatest, go with the former – you’ll enjoy it just as much. It’s rich with apple flavor but gets a botanical lift from gin, and a warming cinnamon kick from the apple butter.

The exact makeup of the shrub used in this drink remains a Lost Boy secret, but it consists of apples and rooibos tea steeped together with sugar, possibly with cider vinegar, and slightly reduced. Experiments are bound to be worthwhile … although it’s easier to just come in and order one.

“It’s almost like having a cold apple cinnamon toddy,” said Cole. “It tastes just like a homemade apple cider.”

THE WALDEN

Advice given across the bar: If you wanted to experiment with this one, try a splash or two of Alta Genepy Herbetet, a Swiss wormwood liqueur similar in flavor and color to Chartreuse.

INGREDIENTS

·     1 1/2 ounces Natterjack Irish whiskey

·     3/4 ounce Nixta Licor de Elote (a Mexican corn liqueur)

·     1/4 ounce crème de cacao

·     Lemon oil, expressed from the peel

METHOD

·     Shake ingredients over ice and strain into highball glass.

·     Garnish with candied ginger and serve.

Please note that in this recipe, the spirits are precise, but the amounts are estimates. 

MANZANA & ROOIBOS

AKA APPLE ORCHARD

INGREDIENTS

·     1 1/2 ounces Fords gin

·     1/2 ounce Lo-Fi sweet vermouth

·     1 ounce apple-tea shrub

·     1 barspoon apple butter

·     Apple slice for garnish

METHOD

·     Shake ingredients well with ice until apple butter is well dissolved.

·     Strain (while shaking the strainer) over ice into a rocks glass; serve with a thin slice of apple for garnish.

Please note that in this recipe, the spirits are precise, but the amounts are estimates.