Miami’s Watering Hole Experience

If I ask you to tell me about your favorite Miami watering hole experience, what would you say? Would you be able to name the cocktail you had, describe the bar’s ambiance, what day you went, or who the bartender was? From the moment you walk through the bar entrance to the moment you take the first sip of your desired libation, there is a sudden change in energy — a feeling of relief, and the lingering curiosity of not knowing where the voyage you consciously set upon is going to lead. Every time a bartender prepares you a cocktail with fastidious, practiced hands, an experience is shared. The conversation and connection between you, the consumer, and the bar chef can enhance your admiration of the very cocktail sitting in front of you. Certain memories and emotions can be triggered by the mere presentation of your drink of choice.

The greatest accomplishment of a bartender lies in his ability to exactly suit his customer. This is done by inquiring what kind of drink the customer desires, and how he wishes it prepared.” – Harry Johnson

Elicit Libations

Just as well, certain ingredients can elicit your nostalgia for certain times, people or feelings. Fresh, ripe fruits, offer you the exhilarating warmth of summer. Coquito and egg nog take you indoors to a family Christmas celebration. Champagne cocktails amplify the festiveness of your next soiree. Piña Coladas and tiki-style drinks take you back to that moment lounging on the beach, blissfully soaking up the sun before realizing you have to be at work in a couple of hours.

The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” – Mark Twain

An immersive experience can be captured through preparation, presentation, smell, and taste. Proper technique and craft, birth cocktails you are pleased to consume. Rapport and trust create experiences you are hard pressed to forget. Every cocktail has the potential to be uniquely impactful to the requesting patron. Every bar and bartender has the potential to transcend the initial order-taking process and create those moments that are monumental to any given guest.

To me, the bar after dinner is the final act of the evening and the bartender is one of the lead performers on this dimly lit stage.” – Salvatore Calabrese

So think about your visit to a bar that ended nothing short of spectacular, the moment you had an experience and shared a connection that proved to be unforgettable. Indulge in the memory for a moment then do yourself a favor; get dressed, take an uber to Wynwood, Brickell or South Beach and create a better one.