Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.11.2018, Blaðsíða 45

Miami Ice
Put on your sports jacket and take off
those socks
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen Photo: Art Bicnick
Miami’s cocktail menu—designed
by master mi xologist Martin
Cabejšek—takes your favourite
classics and mixes them up into
complex 21st century drinks. With
a focus on sustainability and a
strict adherence to the bar’s gor-
geous 1980s Miami Vice aesthetic,
their selection is a standout in the
thriving Reykjavík cocktail scene.
Perched on a vapour-wave chair,
I tried a selection of their drinks.
Cuba Libre
Miami has two cocktails on draft,
one of which is the beloved Cuba
Libre. While serving cocktails on
draft might, at first, seem like a
novelty, in reality, there’s no sepa-
ration of the alcohol, and the drink
comes out of the tap as if it had
been freshly mixed. The cocktail
is—like all others at the bar—
complex. It starts with the Miami
house rum blend. Heavy on vanilla,
chocolate, coffee, and a hefty dose
of plantation pineapple rum; it’s
an electrifying combination that
would be great straight-up, even
for someone who’s not normally a
rum enthusiast.
The resulting cocktail is a real
melange. Overlaid with the cola
and rum are cherry notes, choco-
late bitters, and lime juice. Under-
neath that is a hint of liquorice and
a nuanced bite of spice—a result
of the chocolate in the rum. Most
delightful is the aftertaste, which
harkens back to cola bottle candies
from the local corner store.
Sex On The Beach
Sex On The Beach is dangerous.
Not only because of sand in dark
places, but also because there’s ab-
solutely no hint of alcohol-taste in
this drink. More or less a frothy
juice, you could easily down sev-
eral in an hour. The standout ele-
ment here is the
del ic at e ro s e -
water mist they
spray onto the
drink after it ’s
shaken. This flo-
ral drizzle adds
a sophisticated
undertone to the
p op s i c l e -t a s t e
of the drink; an
elegance that balances out the
sweetness. If you’re a fan of stron-
ger, more robust cocktail flavours,
this isn’t the drink for you—but
despite its light, fruity appear-
ance, approach Sex On The Beach
with caution. One glass could lead
to four, which could easily lead to
waking up at Hlemmur the next
morning.
Miami Fruit Punch
The Miami Fruit Punch is from
the house list of mocktails—that
is, cocktails without alcohol. It’s
amongst the best thought-out
selections of its kind in the city.
I was initially skeptical, but the
fruit punch feels, for all intents
and purposes, like a “proper”
cocktail, with a citrusy tang that
ensures you drink it slowly and sa-
vour the complexity. While I don’t
see myself ordering this one, it’s a
great way to feel included in a bar
setting for designated drivers, or
those that don’t drink.
Cabriolet
Martin’s own creation—the Cab-
riolet—is the standout of the
Miami menu. A play on Panama-
nian cocktails, which combine
rum with ginger
and allspice, it’s
a n e a s y- g oi n g
and refreshing
co ck t a i l t hat ’s
p e r f e c t l y b a l -
anced. It begins
with the Miami
rum blend, and
then adds house-
made allspice li-
queur—infused with cinnamon,
honey, lime, and more—with gin-
ger juice, and a special hibiscus
flower syrup. To serve, it’s placed
under a Panama hat and smoked
with cedar root. Were there ever a
hot summer day in Reykjavík, this
would be the drink to have. Ginger
and rum is a classic, yes, but throw
in a little flower-power and spice
and it’s, truly, my kind of vice.
Shake it, Martin!
45The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 20— 2018
“One glass could
lead to four, which
could easily lead
to waking up at
Hlemmur the next
morning.”
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