What makes a great cocktail bar?
Hint: It's not just the cocktails
A bartender can make the best drinks in the world, but the drinks won’t taste that great without that certain je ne sais quoi – an environment with point of view, a personality, a distinctiveness that speaks to you. Take a look at these four cocktail bars. Each has great drinks. And each has a distinctly different personality. Which one could be right for you?
Sweet Liberty:
Couples in cowboy boots dancing the Texas Two-Step are comfortable here.
Sweet Liberty is a bar’s bar where the motto is pursue happiness - an inarguably reasonable pursuit!
It’s big and dark here, very dark, with a sticky floor. Garth Brooks hits play in the background and happy hour runs until 8PM. It’s a bar that would be at home in Appleton Wisconsin, or Jackson Mississippi or right here in South Beach, Florida. Happy Hour drinks sport names like Le Basique Bitch and Neon Kamikaze; it’s easy to undersand how it appeals to tourists and guy-friends out for a rowdy night.
We three ladies met up early for a drink at Sweet Liberty. We enjoyed a La Luz (patron silver, dry fino sherry, celery bitters) but what really had us squealing with delight were the extra-gooey, cheesy, uber-indulgent cauliflower nachos. Three cheeses make this a triple threat nacho. The sauteed cauliflower assuages the guilt. Avocado crema adds a dollop of foodie sophistication. Radishes, pickled jalapenos, pomegranate seeds add colour. And then there’s the still warm tortilla chips. Come on! That’s hard to resist.
Thinking of going back for the fruit cocktail drag brunch on the first Sunday of a month!
Sweet Liberty
237-B 20th Street
Miami Beach, FL
305-763-8217
https://mysweetliberty.com
Water Lion Wine and Alchemy:
Romantic elegance, quiet, intimate conversation.
Ssshhhh…let’s keep this one a secret!
In walking distance of Sweet Liberty but worlds away in tone and manner, Water Lion lives in the lobby of the Sagamore Hotel, right in the heart of South Beach’s deco hotel zone. But don’t go expecting your typical tourist trap. This tiny bar (12 bar seats, 4 tables) oozes quiet, tropical sophistication. The vibe is sultry jungle meets sexy South Beach. One wall is a giant photo of trees. Twinkly lights are strung from the ceiling, balloon lights hang over the bar like so many moons and rattan lights cast a glow on the tables.
Alchemy is in the air.
It’s a full bar that includes wine, beer, cider, sake, in-house fermented low and no alcohol drinks. Their “thing” is wine and mixed drinks made with sake. They work with small vintners and serve everything from light sparklers to juicy, full-bodied reds.
The food is light and easy to eat. No one here wants a tight waist band. Look at this tomato, burrata tasty treat:
WATERLION Wine + Alchemy
1671 Collins Ave
Miami Beach FL
http://abbediaz.com/drinkjoy/
Scapegoat.
Divey neighborhood bar with upscale drinks.
Historically, the scapegoat carried away the sins of the people. Maybe this bar will wash away your 2023 sins. It’s certainly dark enough to hide those sins.
Walk down 1st Street in Miami Beach, and turn into this small, dark bar. Like Water Lion, it has 12 bar seats and 4 tables! The darkness is positively blinding! There is absolutely no food served here – I mean, not even a potato chip. But it’s so well established as a neighborhood spot that people bring in their own food, to eat with an exotic, well executed drink menu.
The playlist hums in the background; Frank Sinatra singing “I Only Have Eyes for You” sets the tone and got my toes tapping.
The drinks are mixed to perfection. The bartender is happy and knows how to shake those drinks, even though he the lone staff member there on a busy night.
My fave drink is the Hibiscus-Kiss (vodka, hibiscus, pineapple, lime). It’s cold, fruity but not sweet, perfectly balanced and a little too drinkable!) Next time I want to try La Esmeralda (mezcal, genepy, cucumber, basil and lime). Genepy is an herbal liquor from the Alps. The genepy plant is known for its medicinal properties - so, in other words, this drink can cure what ails you! And then there is the Garden of Eden and Chokehold. A fireman from Coral Gables, out with his wife, ordered these two drinks and commented how they were perfectly matched for a married couple!
This place is a perfect place to grab a drink before dinner, particularly if you are waiting in line for a seat at Joe’s (it’s across the street!). Stopping in for a nightcap seems like a great idea too. Or do what the neighbors do - bring your own food:).
Scapegoat
100 Collins
Miami Beach FL
786-275-6488
https://scapegoatsobe.com
Jaquar Sun:
A buzzy urban environment for Yuppies and their parents.
Enter Jaquar Sun through floor to ceiling, deeply hued, purplish velvet curtains.
Very dramatic, if a bit contrived. The restaurant has two rooms of equal-ish size. One’s principally the bar and the other the restaurant, which raises the question: is it a bar with food? Or food with a bar? I’m not really sure.
The vibe is simultaneously breezy and urban slick. It’s luscious and intentionally designed. It’s small and intimate. It’s loud. It’s got buzz. It’s got youthful co-workers exchanging business cards and insider job info and older couples discussing market conditions and politics.
It’s a chef owned establishment – always a good thing - a partnership between Carey Hynes (food guy originally from Boston!), and Will Thompson (bar guy, also from Boston!). The curated food and drink menu is small and well-executed.
The cocktails are divided into categories: aperitif, classic and tropical, which provides a little direction. The classic menu seems more inventive than classic though. I debated between Jailbreak (bourbon, Japanese whiskey, coffee rhum and bitters), WFPD (Jamaican and puerto rican rums, pineapple, lime and nutmet and Green Ghoul (tequila, mezcal, poblano, cucumber, lime)
I’m a tequila and mezcal gal from way back, so went with the Green Ghoul. The drink arrived in a margarita glass with a cactus stem – kinda fun and not at all as kitschy as it sounds.
I secretly worried it might be too boozy, but that worry was misplaced. The drink was perfectly balanced, not too sweet or citrusy or boozy. In fact, just right.
My dining companion went with the Fino Martini (gin, fino sherry, clarified passionfruit). He’s generally a classic martini kinda’ guy, but this version blew him away – in a good way.
The food is focused on raw fish, a set of pasta dishes and Parker House rolls, which I assume comes from the Boston connection.
For the uninitiated, Parker House rolls emerged from the kitchen of the Boston Parker House (duh!) Hotel in the 1870’s. The rolls are soft, crustless, buttery, and easy to pull apart. They were special in their day because bread, in the mid 19th century, was rock hard. The Jaquar Sun version has a dark, salty top, a soft buttery interior and is served with honey butter – an excellent accompaniment.
The agnoletti is a standout, pasta bites oozing with crab and a sweet corn flavor sitting in a light saffron sauce. It’s rich – so be careful. But totally worth the calories.
Food and drinks: $135 for two. $67.50/person
Jacquar Sun
230 NE4th St
Miami, Fl
https://jaguarsunmia.com
wow. Thank you! and PS: Do it!
The Agnoletti description made me want to jump on a plane and indulge.