Repour Homemade Cocktails: Garden-Inspired Drinks in South Beach

Repour, South Beach's newest craft cocktail bar, opened a few months ago at the Albion Hotel, just off Lincoln Road, and already it's getting a reputation as being a place to get fine cocktails in a casual setting.  

Isaac Grillo opened Repour Homemade Cocktails after searching for the right opportunity for years, telling New Times in an interview, "I've always wanted to open my own bar. I've been trying for years now, and this happened to work. It's a great location; it's a great opportunity. This is a new chapter for me. I'm pretty excited."


Repour's bar, furnished with Oriental rugs and couches, gives off a comfortable vibe. There's also a lovely outdoor patio, where a reggae band was setting up for the night. Cocktails on the menu are divided into different "rooms," each with their own personality. Drinks from the garden are made with herbs and veggies grown specially for the bar on site.


The Carrot Patch ($12) is made with Botanist botanical gin; a carrot, ginger, and turmeric reduction; celery bitters; and pickled vegetables. It's served not on the rocks, but on the rock. A frozen Colorado river rock to be exact. Grillo says each rock is chosen specifically for its size and shape. The rocks work like an organic whiskey rock to keep the cocktail chilled without diluting the taste. The Carrot Patch, by the way, is spicy, sweet, and an instant pick me up. It could very well replace the bloody mary as a hangover remedy, and you'll wonder why more people don't make veggie cocktails once you've tasted it.


My Little Kumquat ($12) comes from the living room portion of the menu. Made with Afrohead Seven Year, lime, kumquats, and ancho syrup, then topped with Fever Tree ginger beer, it's a tall refreshing way to end the day or start the evening. Out of the pantry comes Papi Roca ($12), a mix of Don Julio reposado, creme de noya, grapefruit, chili cardamom syrup, plum bitters, and a spiced Pop Rocks rim. While drinking, you'll feel the long-lost tingle of the Pop Rocks sizzling on your tongue. 


Other cocktails include drinks from the sitting room, where you'll find Grandpa Grillo's Tea Time ($12), a boozy alternative to the proper afternoon beverage with Jim Beam, Mandarine Napoléon, Jo Jo's black tea, cassia, and lemon served over a black tea and Jim Beam ice cube; and the guest room where you'll find a simple remedy for Global Warming ($15), Afrohead XO served over a coconut water ice sphere.


In all, Repour is a cozy home that invites you to explore all its rooms and the drinks that reside within the walls.

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