Classified Margaritas at Talavera

Talavera Cocina Mexicana is keeping secrets. The cilantro margarita may be wildly popular, but its recipe might as well have been developed by government intelligence.In reality, seasoned bartender Damien St. Lawrence conjured up the cocktail recipe ten years ago. He got the idea from a cilantro/lime-flavored sorbet at a gelato…

Sipping Rums at the Four Seasons

Rum has a long and romantic history. Pirates in the Caribbean spun tales during rum-infused journeys, the British Navy was said to be run on “rum, sodomy, and the lash,” and smugglers who satisfied America’s thirst during Prohibition were known as “rum runners.” Maybe it’s because of our ancestors’ torrid…

Beat the Blues at Blue Martini Happy Hour

The Place: Blue Martini900 South Miami Road, Miami305-981-2583 The Hours: Daily 4 to 8 p.m. The Deals: 2-for-1 on cocktails, beer and liquor (with few exceptions). All food is half off. The Scene: Like its signature drink, the Blue Martini’s happy hour is saturated with neon, a bit too sweet,…

Sushi Maki on the Happy-Hour Hunt

The Place: Sushi Maki, Brickell  1000 S Miami Ave.305-415-9779sushimakirestaurants.com(Other locations include South Miami, Coral Gables, and Palmetto Bay.)The Hours: Seven Days of Sake takes place daily throughout the summer from 4 to 8 p.m.The Deals: Get half-off daily sake selections and sake cocktails. Cocktail options might vary depending on location…

Slideshow: Gran Sierpe Pisco Bus Tour

Miami’s lack of public transportation makes bar hopping a bit more complicated and sometimes even illegal. So when Gran Sierpe Pisco offers a bus to take a few locals from bar to bar for the purpose of consuming free drinks, we say, where do we sign up? Last night, the…

Sodastream Is a Dream for Staying Cool at Home

For years, almost every restaurant has offered “still” or “sparkling” water. Today, more and more eateries are producing the sparkling in-house with their own soda systems. This trend has grown at homes too, and because I am a lover of all things cold and sparkling, I decided it was time…

Hot Summer Nights Get Cooler at Area 31’s Happy Hour

The Place: Area 31270 Biscayne Boulevard Way, Miami305-424-5234 The Hours: Thursday 6-9 p.m. The Deals: $5 cocktails. $5 light bites menu. Oh yeah, ladies drink free. Holla! The Scene: The prospect of an outdoor happy hour in Miami sounds good, until you realize that temperatures stay in the high 80’s,…

Hot Passion at Cafeina Wynwood Lounge

While it may sound like, and most likely is the name of a Web site that requires you to be over 18 to enter, Hot Passion is also the name of a wildly popular cocktail served at Cafeina in Wynwood. Since its opening this winter, the place has become recognizable…

Gran Sierpe Pisco Punch Recipe

In keeping with our quest to help quench the desperate thirsts of a sun-soaked Miami populace, we drunkenly — I mean proudly present this recipe for a sprightly pisco punch. Pisco is a 300-year-old spirit distilled from grapes and hailed as a national drink in Chile and Peru. Granted, most…

Miller Lite Puts a Vortex in Your Mouth

​It’s not as if carb-counting yuppies really need another reason to enjoy the 96-calorie, piss-colored wonder of Miller Lite. It’s cold. It’s crisp. It instantly satisfies that deep, preternatural thirst that we all have for mass-produced American pilsner. But have you ever noticed how hard it is to get out…

Mercadito in Midtown on the Happy Hour Hunt

The Place: Mercadito3252 NE 1st Ave., Midtown786-369-0430 mercaditorestaurants.comThe Hours: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.The Deals: All beers are $3 and select wines are $5. The Traditional Margarita, The Pepino El Pyu (tequila blanco, cucumber, lemon, hoja santa, & cumin salt), and The Little Market Margarita (tequila…

Talavera Shakes Up Happy Hour With Master Mixologist Merino

This coming Wednesday, June 23, Talavera Restaurant will be introducing a new happy hour menu with a cocktail party led by master mixologist Junior Merino — aka the “Liquid Chef”. Festivities begin at 5:00 p.m., and will feature signature elixirs such as the Koki’o, with 100% Agave Tequila, Hibiscus Syrup,…

World Cup 2010: Brits Unite at Waxy O’Connors

The World Cup kicks off today and for the next two weeks, soccer fans across the world will be cheering and screaming at the TV-screen like caged hyenas. The U.S. has now joined those ranks as homes and bars across South Florida gear up for the match up between the…

Miami Is Hot, Campari Is Cool: Summer Cocktail Recipes

The forecast calls for temperatures to reach 300F today, with occasional heat strokes and heart attacks towards evening and heavy sweating overnight. Summer has hardly begun. Campari and soda has been the European salve to a punishing sun ever since Gaspare Campari created the herb-and-bitters-based aperitíf in Italy precisely 150…

Ecco Pizzateca & Lounge on the Happy Hour Hunt

Pizza usually provokes images of the following: greasy deliciousness, Ninja Turtles, chain restaurant commercials, late night munchies & movie nights, or indigestion. Rarely do you  associate pizza with sexy. That concept was altered (at least locally) when Ecco Pizzateca & Lounge showed up downtown. The hip and sleekly designed pizza spot…

Getting High at The Hotel’s Spire Bar & Lounge

If you’re not a subscriber to our weekly Café Bites dining newsletter, here’s a taste of what you’re missing. Click here to subscribe. It’s not easy getting high in South Beach. (And put away the crack pipe. That’s not what we’re talking about.) What we are talking about are public…

Cafeina Lounge in Wynwood on the Happy Hour Hunt

Welcome to the new darling of Wynwood. The sexy gallery-meets-lounge-meets-outdoor oasis manages to be warm and welcoming without being stuffy. Every corner of Cafeina is lined with simplistic detail layered over a romantic color palate; damask table tops with geometrically curious legs, a lamp shaded chandelier, and a mirrored bar…

RumChata: Rum and Rice Makes Everything Nice

Having spent five years in Mexico, I am an horchata lover. Fortunately, the recent influx of Mexican restaurants to Miami has made it easier to find this sweet refresher locally. Some versions are better than others, but that is a different entry….Horchata is a sweet cold beverage made from rice,…

Tap Tap Screens The Quake for Free Today and Tomorrow

It’s easy to feel good about having texted money to Haitian relief efforts after the January earthquake. The unfortunate reality might be that those moneys didn’t contribute to much of any actual relief.Tonight and tomorrow at Tap Tap, the public is invited to a free screening of a Frontline documentary…