The Happiest Hour

It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere, Mon

By Lizzie Wilcox

April 2019

If living in Miami doesn’t satiate your tropical needs, Ortanique brings the Caribbean to Miracle Mile. Known for its “cuisine of the sun,” the restaurant’s signature cocktails are also worthy of sipping on a white sand beach.

Ortanique’s happy hour deals run from 5 to 7 p.m. on weekdays. While the crowd of businessmen and women grabbing a drink after work clears out a little after 6 p.m., both the restaurant and the bar start to fill back up an hour later. Weekdays offer $4 off signature cocktails, glasses of wine and imported beers, but they also have daily drink specials. On Mondays, happy hour prices run all day and also apply when ordering a drink in the dining room. On Tuesdays, bottles of wine are half off. On Thursdays, sparkling wine and champagne is free until they run out. And on Fridays, signature cocktails are half off.

Now that we’ve given you the low down, here’s what we drank. If vodka is your alcohol of choice, the Black Magic does not disappoint (above). Made with Grey Goose, passionfruit black tea, blackberries, St. Germaine, Apricot Brandy and lemon juice, it’s like a spiked iced tea. Since tea has health benefits, we’re going to make a judgment call and call this drink healthy. If tequila is more of your preference, the bartender will recommend the Passion Pill. Made of Avion Silver Tequila, passion fruit and lime juice, this concoction has a kick and, surprisingly, it’s not the tequila, but the spicy Scotch Bonnet Syrup. For a really refreshing, beach-worthy cocktail, try the Dragon Cloud, which consists of Bacardi Dragonberry, coconut sake, fresh lemon juice and agave nectar.

e true test of a good bartender is serving a strong drink where you can’t taste the alcohol. Ortanique passed with ying colors. All they need is a steel drum player.