| TASTE TEST | ▼ Café ▼ COCONUT GROVE MAYFAIR HOTEL TO REOPEN WITH RESTAURANTS BY LOST BOY takes that one step further. The only differ- ence is that a trip to its bar is designed to make you feel refreshed instead of hungover. Texas-based IV Bars offers intravenous in- fusions of vitamin “cocktails” that claim to boost energy and immunity and even help make your skin look younger. Almost all infusions start with a “Myers For decades, the Mayfair was Miami’s anti-ho- tel. The 179-suite property in Coconut Grove was a lush, bohemian oasis that was a favorite for weddings and other special occasions. In 2019, the hotel was sold to Brookfield Asset Management for about $40 million. The new owners closed the property in 209 for renovations, putting about $50 million into the remodel. Now the rebranded Mayfair House Hotel & Garden is set to open later this summer. Each suite will be colorfully decorated with art pieces and murals by Verre Églomisé artist Jane Richardson-Mack, Bahamian visual art- ist Angelika Wallace-Whitfield and Miami- born Michele Oka Doner. The Mayfair will also be home to two orig- inal food and beverage outlets by Lost Boy & Co., the owner/operator of downtown Mi- ami’s Lost Boy Dry Goods. The eponymous Mayfair Grill restaurant, garden-café, and atrium bar will serve a menu inspired by the flavors of the American South- west. Lost Boy cofounder Chris Hudnall, who grew up in Arizona, explains the concept: “I’m originally from Arizona and we saw an oppor- tunity in Miami for this Sonoran-style South- western cuisine.” Hudnall and partner Randy Alonso used the space’s original wood-fired oven and grill space as inspiration. “We’ve been intrigued with wood-fired cooking,” Hudnall says, add- ing that Sonoran cuisine takes many cues from Mexico. “The dishes use Sonoran pep- pers and spice rubs on the meats to give the food a confluence of flavors.” Alonso notes that every cooked dish will either be fired on the giant nine-foot grill or in the wood oven. “We didn’t design anything else but those two cooking units, which I think is an awesome culinary point.” The Mayfair Grill will offer a cocktail pro- gram that focuses on agave-based spirits. “We’re really focusing on mezcal and tequila, which have always been passions of mine,” says Hudnall. Upstairs, hotel guests can enjoy cocktails and food at Sipsip, the rooftop bar and restau- rant on the pool deck that will pay tribute to Coconut Grove’s Bahamian roots. Sipsip, which is Bahamian slang for “news of the day,” will stock an extensive rum selection and a menu of Caribbean-influenced dishes. Bartenders will mix bespoke rum punches from two bar carts wheeled throughout the pool deck, and the cocktail menu will focus on Bahamian rum cocktails. Sipsip will be open to hotel guests, with reservations avail- able for non-guests “in the know.” Alonso says he and Hudnall have spent three years working on the two restaurants at the Mayfair. “We started conceptualizing pre- pandemic. It’s been the most exciting project Photo by Dan Forer we’ve worked on so far.” He adds that he hopes people enjoy Lost Boy’s vision once the Mayfair opens. “There’s one common thread in all we do: We really believe in bringing things back to life. How can we tell a story?” The Mayfair House Hotel & Garden. 3000 Florida Ave., Coconut Grove; mayfairhousemi- ami.com. Opens late summer 2022. LAINE DOSS ▼ MIAMI-DADE MR. BLACK’S ESPRESSO MARTINI FEST COMES TO MIAMI The atrium at the Mayfair House Hotel & Garden. Fest will see bartenders from cities across the U.S. shake up their best espresso martini vari- ations. Miami venues participating this year include Orilla in South Beach, the wildly pop- ular backyard oasis Broken Shaker, Wyn- wood’s Doya, Better Days, Greenstreet Cafe, Bay 13 Brewery, the Sylvester, Beaker & Gray, and the Scapegoat. Customers are required to RSVP to the festival to claim a $12 espresso martini at par- ticipating locations and can do so here. While each bar will be shaking up its own The Mr. Black brand of coffee liqueur is bring- ing its Espresso Martini Fest to Miami. The weeklong, nationwide celebration is dedicated to one of the world’s most beloved cocktails. In Miami, the festival will take place at several local bars when — through Sunday, May 22 — Mr. Black partners with some of the Magic City’s most frequented cocktail bars to offer coffee and cocktail lovers spe- cially priced $12 espresso martinis. Mr. Black launched Espresso Martini Fest in Australia in 2016, expanding the festival to London in 2018, and to the U.S. for the first time this year. Other participating cities in- clude Chicago, New York, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Houston. According to Mr. Black cofounder Tom Baker, when Mr. Black first hit the market in 2013, coffee was all but forgotten in the liquor industry. “And now, here we are, working with some of the best bars in the U.S. to showcase that very thing,” Baker tells New Times. “At the first festival in Sydney in 2016, we held it in one large venue and sold out in 90 seconds. This year, we’ve had over 15,000 people plan to attend the festival at over 100 bars across seven cities in the U.S. alone. Huge. It’s great to see the U.S. having its coffee cocktail re- naissance in 2022.” It’s good timing, as the espresso martini is becoming en vogue again according to recent coverage by Martha Stewart, the New York Times, InsideHook, and Forbes. Next week, Mr. Black’s Espresso Martini take on the martini, there will be one com- mon ingredient: Mr. Black. “We place as much importance on roasting and brewing the coffee as we do on creating the liqueur, and that is really reflected in the rich flavor of Mr. Black,” Baker says. “We often hear from bartenders that Mr. Black makes such an excellent espresso martini for this very reason — it’s not too sweet or syrupy. Using a cold-brew method results in a more robust and sweet profile that’s really all about the cof- fee: Think bold, complex, and balanced.” Made by hand at a distillery and coffee roaster north of Sydney, Australia, Mr. Black is a bittersweet blend of Arabica coffees and Australian wheat vodka. A first of its kind, the product is made using an entirely cold extrac- tion process with no added flavors, fillers, or preservatives. “This drink elicits a love from drinkers like few others. The fact it gets its own festival speaks to the cult status of the espresso mar- tini,” Baker says. “Apart from being utterly delicious, it’s synonymous with good times. It’s worth celebrating.” NICOLE DANNA ▼ CORAL GABLES IV BARS OFFERS COCKTAILS DESIGNED TO HELP YOUR HANGOVER cocktail” blend of Vitamin C, B12, B-Complex, and magnesium — named after Dr. John My- ers, who infused patients with vitamins to help various ailments. The other cocktails build on that formula. Cocktails cost from $100 to $300 and take 7 to 45 minutes to administer, de- pending on which infusion you choose. Andrew Magarino, general manager for IV Bars, says the customer base varies from ath- letes wanting to get some pre-game energy to people needing a life after a long weekend of partying. “Everyone comes in here for differ- ent reasons. We have almost two dozen dif- ferent cocktails to assist you in whatever you’re trying to achieve.” The “Allure Plus,” for example, claims to help brighten skin, give you a mood boost, and helps systemic inflation, Magarino says, adding, “That’s a popular one.” There’s also the “Venus,” which claims to help with fertil- ity issues; the “Clarity” to help with brain fog; and the “Metabolizer” to help reduce hunger cravings. According to Magarino, the most popular infusion is the “Immune Plus,” which adds glutathione and zinc to the Myers cocktail. “Right now, with COVID still working its way through our population, that one is huge,” he adds, asserting that he’s even had post-CO- VID people say they got their taste back after the IV cocktails. If you prefer “shots” to “cocktails.” IV Bars has those too. These also come in the form of vitamins or supplements rather than the te- quila or whiskey type. Magarino assures you that the end result is worth it, even if you’re squeamish about nee- dles. “I like to refer to this woman who comes in every two weeks. She literally passes out from anxiety about the needle every time, but she returns because she feels the benefits.” He says that the staff is there to reassure cus- tomers if they are feeling anxious. Professional nurses or paramedics admin- ister all cocktails. Magarino, who for years worked as a paramedic for fire stations and hospitals, says that working at IV Bars is a wel- come relief from the hectic pace of his previ- ous profession. “Being here is a breath of fresh air for me and for everyone who works here.” Magarino also says he likes that this is a place of preventative care rather than emer- gency care. “Coming from healthcare and working in hospitals, I see people taking care of themselves. It’s very rewarding.” IV Bars also has extended COVID security measures in place. “When a client comes in, we do a temperature check. We take vitals. And we request people wear masks.” Magarino says that IV Bars will start bring- Someone has probably jokingly told the bar- tender to forget the glass — just put that drink straight into their arm. There’s a new spot in Coral Gables that ing a bus to events like marathons. (No word if music events and food festivals would also be on the itinerary, but it seems like a good fit.) IV Bars will even make a house call — just in case your Saturday night was too hectic. IV Bars. 1410 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Ga- bles; 786-536-7857; ivbars.com. Monday to Fri- day 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. LAINE DOSS 13 3 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC |MIAMI NEW TIMES miaminewtimes.com | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | NEW TIMES MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 MAY 19-25, 2022
