Holiday Cocktails. Gables Style
Five Cocktails for the Season, and the Mixologists Behind Them
The approaching holiday season signals the return of a few of America’s favorite pastimes. It is time to find that perfect turkey, for one, soon to be followed by the search for that perfect Christmas tree. And while the residents of Coral Gables don’t experience the same chilly winters that Northerners do, fear not, for all weather is good weather for a strong holiday drink. And the Gables mixologists behind some of the best cocktails in the country make our city a special place to indulge in holiday pleasures. Here, then, is our selection of some of the top bartenders in the city, and some of the cocktails they recommend – along with their recipes so that you, too, can impress friends and loved ones with a seasonal elixir.
Christy’s
The Mixologist: Juliana Aluma
The ambiance of Christy’s Restaurant falls somewhere between classic steakhouse and Christmas in Miami. The intimate watering hole and Gables institution is cozy without feeling cramped, and as a restaurant that prides itself on its cocktails, everything leads to the saloon-esque bar. Juliana Aluma, a six-year veteran behind Christy’s bar, says that while the restaurant draws customers from across Miami, it’s the regulars that give the forty-year-old institution its character. “We have a lot of regulars who have been coming since the day that we opened, and it’s been amazing to actually hear the stories from all of the guests,” Aluma says. The top-selling drink at the steakhouse, the Old Fashioned is a perfect way to start or end an evening. Aluma, born in the Dominican Republic, builds the elixir in a shaker before pouring it into a chilled glass flask. Waiters pour the drink at the table, leaving half in the bottle for customers to drink at their leisure. Or you can spend the evening at the bar with Aluma, the restaurant’s FIU-educated mixologist extraordinaire.
The Alcohol: Woodford Bourbon
The Drink: Old Fashioned
Ingredients
2 oz Woodford Reserve
1⁄4 oz Agave
3 dashes of Angostura Orange Bitters
1 thin-sliced orange peel
Zucca
The Mixologist: Thomas Thoshino
Zucca resident mixologist and Milan native Thomas Thoshino takes pride in what he does, and his warm smile invites customers to relax and enjoy a lineup of innovative drinks that never stray too far from the essentials. Zucca’s cocktail menu is made up of Italian classics, restaurant staples,and signature cocktails created by the bartenders. Thoshino, who has been mixing for over ten years, says the selection mirrors the culture of the city it serves. “I like bringing a unique experience to the customer, whether through presentation, ingredients or flavor,” he says. With Smoke Signal, Thoshino has perfected all three. The house-made tomatillo-passion fruit puree bridges Italian liqueur and Mexican mezcal, bringing the flavors together in one cohesive drink. Once combined, Thoshino carefully pours his creation into a giant, skull-shaped mug that evokes images of Mexico’s Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). The taste is exotic but not overwhelming, a sensation somewhere between sipping nutmeg by the fireplace and drinking daiquiris on the beach.
The Alcohol: Mezcal Campante
The Drink: Smoke Signal
Ingredients
1.5 oz. Mezcal Campante .
5 oz Aperol Italian liqueur
5 oz agave
3 drops spicy orange bitters
25 oz lime juice
5 oz passion fruit tomatillo puree (made in house by blending cooked tomatillo with passion fruit)
Tap 42
The Mixologist: Sasha Alvarez
Mixologist Sasha Alvarez might look too young to be behind a bar, but don’t let her looks deceive you. Tap 42’s resident college student might just make the best “Peachy Lychee” in Florida. Alvarez, who is studying hospitality at FIU, clearly has a passion for service that is reflected in the warmth of her smile and in the care she puts into her craft. The Peachy Lychee, made with Grey Goose and a puree of the lychee fruit, is served without ice in a martini glass cold enough to keep the drink cool on a hot day. The sweetness of the lychee juice sets taste buds ablaze with a smooth kick, while the lemon juice is just enough to make any lucky drinker’s lips pucker. In the Gables, the cocktail is a popular choice for customers. “It definitely has the class of Coral Gables, but it also has the vibrancy of Miami,” says Alvarez, who joined Tap 42 in 2018. “When I found this place, the service was so exceptional that I applied and haven’t worked anywhere in Miami since.” After finishing her Peachy Lychee, you might ask for an application, too.
The Alcohol: Grey Goose Vodka
The Drink: Peachy Lychee
Ingredients
1.5 oz of Grey Goose Peach Essence
1 oz lychee puree
5 oz peach schnapps
5 oz lemon juice
Fiola
The Mixologist: Eileen Morffiz
Walk through the tall glass doors of fine-dining mecca Fiola and you will be greeted by a bustling restaurant at the top of its game. Although leading mixologist Eileen Morffiz is not responsible for the restaurant’s award-winning pastas or its acclaimed charred Spanish octopus, her original Cafecito embodies the culture of Coral Gables and sets Fiola Miami apart from its namesake in Washington D.C. The New Jersey native starts by measuring out the drink’s fresh ingredients with her handy jigger before pouring her rum, house-made coffee liqueur, coffee bitters and espresso into a Boston shaker. It’s a fairly simple process, but one flaw can ruin the results for an inexperienced mixologist. “For the foam, you must shake vigorously or else it’s not a Cafecito,” Morffiz says. As the daughter of Cuban immigrants, Morffiz clearly knows her stuff, and once she’s finished garnishing the cocktail with three coffee beans and an edible Fiola emblem, the end result is as beautiful as it is tasty. “You might as well take your alcohol and caffeine at the same time,” she quips.
The Alcohol: Bacardi Rum
The Drink: Cafecito
Ingredients
1 1⁄2 oz Bacardi Facundo Eximo Rum
1 oz house-made coffee liqueur
2 dashes house made coffee bitters
1 shot Illy espresso
Copper 29
The Mixologist: Gregory Katachanas
When Gregory Katachanas left his native Greece for Miami, he was starting over in an unknown city. He then spent five years climbing the ladder from grunt worker to business partner and bar manager at popular Copper 29 on Miracle Mile. His newest creation, “Temptation on the Mile,” is now on the restaurant’s holiday menu. Just a squeeze of fresh grapefruit and a hefty pour of Tempt Gin topped off with Fever Tree Tonic and you’ve got a solid drink with a kick. And Katachanas’ secret ingredient? A small pour of Saint Germain Elderflower Liqueur for a drink that is smooth and tart in all the right ways. Katachanas attributes its flavor to the distillation and reactivity of the gin itself, which is locally produced. “It’s a unique gin in many ways, how it reacts to whatever you throw into it. If you have this gin neat, it’s a completely different flavor than over ice,” Katachanas says. We’ll take it with these five ingredients, a drink that’s a throwback to when mixologists kept it simple and sweet.
The Alcohol: Tempt Gin
The Drink: Temptation on The Mile
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Tempt Gin
5 oz fresh lime juice
5 oz Saint. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
Top off with Fever-Tree tonic
Garnish with twisted peel of grapefruit squeezed and mixed in
Words by Parker Gimbel
*Photos by Rodolfo Benitez