Brickell's La Cueva Tequila Bar to Open Just in Time for Trump's Inauguration

Depending upon your political views, drinking tequila this Inauguration Day could be a sign of celebration or an escape from reality.

Or it could be that you're drinking tequila at La Cueva, a new Mexican cave-themed bar located at 1111 SW First Ave. in the heart of Brickell. Meaning "the cave" in Spanish, La Cueva is a bar that specializes in all things tequila, mezcal, and the myriad cocktails containing those two spirits.

Considering all of the disparaging remarks Trump made about Mexicans leading up to the election, there's probably no better opening day for La Cueva than January 20.

However, the two events are simply coincidental, says La Cueva spokesperson Erica Bacardi of Identity Media PR. What's not a coincidence is the dedication to the agave plant, from which tequila is derived.

Aside from offering 25-plus tequila brands ranging from Jose Cuervo to Don Julio, La Cueva will host monthly tastings of exclusive tequila brands.
Though tequila gets a bad rap from those who overindulge in it, La Cueva is more than just a place to do shots. Tequila can also be imbibed in cocktails, shooters, and other libations. The bar even offers varieties of tequilas arranged in flights.

La Cueva comes from the mind of Brian Mejia, the owner of Candela Gastrobar in Mary Brickell Village and nearby nightclub Tucandela. It's Brickell's "one and only cave," Mejia says, inspired by and mimicking the dark ambiance of the many caves found in Mexico.

The interior is lined with tree logs from the Yucatán Peninsula, tabletops made of cross sections of natural Mexican royal ebony from the city of Oaxaca, and a bar made of trees toppled by Hurricane Andrew.

"La Cueva is a place you can walk into and forget you’re in Brickell," Mejia says. "It puts you in another setting to make you feel like you’re actually in one of Mexico’s famous caves."

If the abundance of tequila doesn't take you back to Mexico, the entertainment might.

"We’ve officially brought Mexico to Brickell," Mejia says. "Upbeat music, mariachis, lucha libre, tequila, mezcal — it’s the recipe for the ultimate fiesta."