Cool Cocktails From Miami’s Best Bars

An ecology teacher once told me that South Florida only has two seasons: wet and dry. (Three, if you count hurricane season separately.) Those divisions line up remarkably well with the season that makes Florida’s economy go: tourist season. As the days get hotter and afternoon rains fall harder, snowbirds seeking less humid places to visit skedaddle and the more genteel locals take their white shoes out of the back of the closet, slip into something lightweight and breathable, and unwind on the sunnier afternoons with a glass of something tall and ice cold.

It is the sipping season. Like the reptiles indigenous to our subtropical environment, the slow but steady Biscayne Tippler can find all sorts of creature comforts without venturing too far or too fast. Even in the offseason, the world’s flavors find their way to Miami’s watering holes.

The bartenders at Bakan in Wynwood are serving a seasonal cocktail called a Mango Petacon, which brings together mangoes (the flavor of a Florida June if ever there was one) with a Mexican mélange of mezcal, mint and lime.

But for a real taste of multicultural magic, slip south to Brickell, where Osaka Cocina Nikkei boasts a food menu with a “Peruvian Izakaya” section and the bar serves a transcontinental take on the French 75, made with gin, yuzu and sparkling rosé called the Nikkei 75.

The Rusty Pelican is one of the most Miami of Miami restaurants, yet its bar serves a drink that gets a quirky kick (and a cute name) from shiso, a Japanese herb that’s something like mint crossed with cilantro and basil: the Shiso Vain.

For international flair with homegrown herbal ingredients, head to Watson Island among all the cruise ships prepping to sail north for the Alaska season and take a seat on The Deck at Island Gardens. Order yourself a Biscayne Breeze. It gets that remarkable purple hue from butterfly pea, a flower you might have twining its vines in your garden. The rest of the flavors come from Mexico, France and Asia.

Perhaps the most international of experiences in Miami can be had at Cote Miami, a Korean steakhouse with a Michelin star from France and a James Beard Award nomination from here in the states. Principal bartender Sondre Kasin shares recipes for two unique drinks served up to those fortunate enough to dine there.

A Frosé is a slightly elevated version of that classic summer refresher, the wine spritz, but Kasin’s Esteban cocktail is something else entirely.

“Esteban is a strong, smokey and crisp cocktail with a lot of layers,” he said. “On the nose you will smell citrus notes from the grapefruit oils and a touch of smoke as well from the mezcal. On the first sip you will find a delicate, balanced, smokey note that moves over to sweetness from the umeshu – a plum sake that is sweet, tart and has apricot/plum notes.”

Kasin noted that the Cocchi Rosa in this drink – an Italian, bitter, fortified wine – helps to balance the cocktail while a pinch of salt elevates its flavors.

Once across the Rickenbacker Causeway, you might be in Key Biscayne, but you can enjoy a Miami Beach. It’s a fruity drink that’s part of the Miami Menu at Lightkeepers, in the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne.

It would be great to be able to say that on the other side of Fisher Island there was an upscale lounge that returned the favor, but this cocktail investigator was unable to find any drinks called the Key Biscayne served on the beach. Instead, Joliet, near the foot of the Venetian Causeway, pours an Herbed Cucumber, general manager and beverage director Derek Tormes’ clever take on a gin and tonic that turns the British Empire’s trademark tipple elegantly on its ear.

And as the tourists (most of them) depart to more temperate climes, looking out over Coral Gables from the La Terrazza da Fiola rooftop happy hour is a fine way to enjoy a very Miami sunset. You could sip a locally made craft beer or enjoy a distinctly Mediterranean flavor haunted by a suggestion of Earl Grey tea: the Venetian Spritz.

NIKKEI 75

Courtesy of Osaka Cocina Nikkei

INGREDIENTS

·     1 1/2 ounces Nikka Coffey gin

·     3/4 ounce yuzu juice

·     3/4 ounce honey

·     Splash sparkling rosé

·     Yuzu foam

·     Edible flowers

METHOD

·     Combine gin, yuzu juice and honey in shaker; pour into flute and top with splash of rosé.

·     Finish with yuzu foam and garnish with flowers.

SHISO VAIN

Courtesy of the Rusty Pelican

INGREDIENTS

·     2 ounces Don Julio Blanco tequila infused with shiso

·     1/2 ounce Cointreau

·     3/4 ounce lemon juice

·     1/4 ounce agave nectar

·     Grand Marnier foam

·     Hawaiian red salt

·     Dehydrated lime

·     Fresh rosemary

METHOD

·     Pour tequila, Cointreau, lemon juice and agave into shaker with ice; shake about 10-15 seconds, then strain into coupe glass.

·     Top with Grand Marnier foam and garnish with Hawaiian red salt, dehydrated lime and rosemary.

BISCAYNE BREEZE

Courtesy of The Deck at Island Gardens

INGREDIENTS

·     2 ounces El Cristiano Blanco tequila

·     1 ounce butterfly pea flower syrup

·     1/2 ounce lychee purée

·     1/2 ounce Yellow Chartreuse

·     1 ounce lime juice

·     Edible flowers

·     Black cherry

METHOD

·     Stir all ingredients well with ice and serve in tall glass.

·     Garnish with colorful flowers and black cherry.

FROSÉ

Courtesy of Cote Miami

INGREDIENTS

·     4 ounce rosé wine

·     1/2 ounce Aperol

·     1/2 ounce Campari

·     1 ounce lemon juice

·     3/4 ounce simple syrup

·     1 scoop lemon sorbet

METHOD

·     Mix all ingredients in blender with a couple of ice cubes until well combined.

·     Pour into a glass and, Kasin says, garnish with a flamingo straw if you have one!

ESTEBAN

Courtesy of Cote

INGREDIENTS

·     1 ounce Mezcal Verde Momento

·     1 ounce Cocchi Rosa

·     1 ounce umeshu

·     Grapefruit twist

·     Pinch salt

METHOD

·     In shaker filled with ice blend liquid ingredients for 10 seconds; strain liquid into rocks glass with one large ice cube in it.

·     Top with the tiniest pinches of salt; gently twist grapefruit twist over cocktail to release some citrus oils before adding twist to glass.

MIAMI BEACH

Courtesy of Lightkeepers at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne

INGREDIENTS

·     1 1/2 ounce Stoli vanilla

·     1/2 ounce raspberry liqueur

·     1/2 ounce Cointreau

·     1 ounce pineapple juice

·     1/2 ounce raspberry purée

·     Three raspberries

MERHOD

·     Shake ingredients with ice and strain into chilled martini glass.

·     Garnish with raspberries.

HERBED CUCUMBER

Courtesy of Joliet

INGREDIENTS

·     1 1/2 ounce Widges gin

·     1/2 ounce Bordiga extra dry vermouth

·     1/2 ounce lime juice

·     3 ounces Q elderflower tonic

·     Fresh mint leaves

·     Cucumber slices

METHOD

·     Combine first three ingredients in glass; add crushed ice and tonic and agitate using bar spoon.

·     Garnish with mint and cucumber slices.

VENETIAN SPRITZ

Courtesy of La Terrazza da Fiola

INGREDIENTS

·     1 ounce Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto

·     1/2 ounce St. Germain liqueur

·     Splash Peninsola Zero prosecco

·     Splash club soda

·     Orange slice

·     Fresh rosemary

METHOD

·     Build first two ingredients in large, burgundy-style glass; fill to the top with ice, top with prosecco and soda.

·     Garnish with orange slice and fresh rosemary.