Quality Meats in Miami Beach has launched a new menu of fall cocktails. The libations feature fresh juices, herbal notes, and local ingredients. The cocktails range from new interpretations of classic cocktails to tropical drinks and cocktails on tap. But the most imaginative by far are the cubed cocktails, which use ice as an integral part of the cocktail.
Quality Meats beverage director Bryan Schneider flew in from the flagship location in New York City to train the South Beach staff in the preparation of the new drinks and to host a tasting of some of his favorite selections from the new menu. Each cocktail costs $16.
The pomegranate daiquiri starts with a classic daiquiri made with Flor de Caña rum and then adds pomegranate foam for a touch of autumn flavor. Quality Meats' Miami Beach bartender Dan Sanberg, who designed this version of the daiquiri, will change the fruits with the season.
A Cuba Libre is made with Appleton light and dark rums, lime, and a house-made cola, then batched and served on tap with a lime. Squeeze the tart juice into the drink and enjoy. The house-made cola is spicier and less sweet than store-bought soda, giving this Cuba Libre rich notes of roots and herbs.
Pisco punch is made with Machu pisco, spiced pineapple juice, and fresh lemon.
The Rubik's spritz is the most colorful and unique beverage on the new menu. Inspired by Schneider's kid's Rubik's Cube, the drink starts with ice cubes in various flavors and colors to resemble the squares in the maddening cube puzzle.
Then a spritz, made with prosecco, elderflower, and vodka, is added. As the cubes melt, the flavors in the cocktail change and mature.
Each cocktail pairs well with the restaurant's charcuterie tower. Schneider shared some of his favorite recipes, so you can also make Pisco punch and the Rubik's spritz at home.
Pisco Punch
- 2 oz Pisco
- 1 oz spiced pineapple syrup
- ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
To make spiced pineapple syrup: Combine 1 cup sugar, ½ cup water, and 1 tsp whole cloves in a pot. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Strain out cloves, and pour the syrup into a blender over a cup of chopped pineapple. Pulse a few times to chop the pineapple. Strain through a fine-meshed strainer.
Rubik’s Spritz
- 3 oz prosecco
- 1 oz vodka
- ½ oz elderflower liqueur
- ½ oz lemon juice
- ¼ oz simple syrup
To make the Rubik’s ice cubes: In separate containers, dilute Cointreau, mango purée, raspberry purée, and lime juice with water (five parts water to one part flavoring). Freeze in ice-cube molds.
