I have never made it to Miami to enjoy the famous Broken Shaker Bar which checks in at No 16 of the 2016 list of the 50 Best Bars in the world but I heard a great deal about the place.
Tasty Punch
Gabe Orta and Elad Zvi have created something special there. What better idea to move to the second best city in the US when it comes to cocktails to open the first outpost – Chicago! Located in the Freehand hotel, Freddie Sarkis rules behind the bar and comes up with creative mixtures. Rather dimly lit and a slight ethno feel to it, one finds 15 different cocktails on the menu. There is definitely an Indian American touch to the place paired with a hint of Tiki flavour which makes it very unique, even though the tapestry could be straight out of the 70’s in Miami. We came in rather late and the place was not too packed. Curious as we were we ordered different drinks to see how creative they can get and one of us opted for a Campfire boulevardier. It bought a good dryness from the Olorosso sherry paired with a present smokiness from the Mezcal. The Cynar was rather light on the palate. All in all a boozy and strong creation, as cognac is a further ingredient which goes well with the recipe.
Devonshire Fizz
The Lapsang tea was missing in the flavour profile which would have been an interesting addition if the balance between the ingredients would have been completely right. A second creation with a compelling name was the William Wallace which brought a nice sweetness with it from the vermouth and honey. Add to that a balanced smokiness from the Wild Turkey Rye and round it off with Chapulin salt and pork bitters which only gave a hint to the taste but worked very well – a creative invention indeed. We opted for a last drink called the Garretts Old Fashioned. As a fan of a good old fashioned I was curious to try this one. Reading the ingredients I know I was in for a special treat far from the original. Local popcorn cordial with Old Forester bourbon, mellow corn whiskey finished with salted butter and cheese bitters and it was indeed sweet, salty and cheesy – that really brings it to the point. An experiment well done! All in all a good evening which ended a little abrupt since one of the bartender just came by to take the candles and by doing this slightly telling us “guys it is time to go, we are closing”. Certainly there are more gallant ways to do this.
Images: ©Broken Shaker Chicago
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