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Cooling off in Miami
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So I just got back from South Florida and boy was it hot and humid. We also got some of those amazing thunder and lighting storms that you only hear about when you don't live in a tropical storm belt.
That kind of weather makes me want to do nothing more than lounge over a refreshing cocktail. However I have never thought of Miami as a great drinks town, since fruity drinks with umbrellas have never been my thing. However wow did one brilliant, new mixologist prove me wrong.
The Cucumber Rose at The View Bar is garnished with roses!
His name is Oscar Morales and he heads up the bar operation at The View Bar and 1 Bleu Restaurant in the Regent Bal Harbour, which opened a few months ago. What's even more amazing is that this young, talented guy has no formal cocktail training.
Many of the drinks are on the sweeter side, but still packed with fresh ingredients, but the man knows his market. And sugar appeals in Miami. The presentation and garnishes are also stunning. Who wouldn't love real, edible roses in their drinks? He's also incorporating ruby Port into a drink called the RBH Martini, which I adore for its food-friendly appeal.
1 Bleu is one of the new high-ticket restaurants with superb service and a dynamite (Oscar-created) wine list. The bar is somewhat intimate and I hope capable of continuing to turn out such impressive drinks.
While the long drinks were great, the most stunning thing to come out of the bar was a series of decomposed cocktails, which he calls edible. My man Morales is doing a rum and coke, Cosmo and a Piña Colada like you have never seen them before. They are elegant, compact and feature stunning ingredients like a Coca Cola granite and dark rum gelée with lemon froth. Wow! So please book a flight, a jet or hop a taxi and get over to 1 Bleu before this gets out in the mainstream press.
On a culinary note I also had some amazing Peruvian food in Miami. La Cofradia is an upscale Nuevo Peruvian place in tony Coral Gables. Chef Jean Paul Desmaison is from Lima and had a restaurant of the same name (which means brotherhood in Spanish) in his native town. The place is lovely and chef does great takes on both classic Peruvian ceviches as well as new fangled ones like an Asian-inflected tuna. They also make a perfect Pisco Sour, which is ideal in the heat.
For more down home Peruvian don't miss El Pollo Inka in a strip mall by the airport. Take me back to Lima, complete with Inka Cola (the beloved sweet soda of the Peruvians).
Also for a little snack and sip of something lovely try the groovy Bin 18 wine bar in the Design District. Funky chandeliers and minimalist décor suit the lovely wine list and satisfying small bites.
See you all on the beach with a decomposed cocktail without the umbrella,
Liza the Wine Chick
A Pisco Sour hits the spot at La Cofradia and
small bites (to the right) are a focus at Bin. 18.
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