Rick and Morty and Stranger Things Mashup Cocktail Bar Pops Up at Zest

Calling all Rick and Morty and Stranger Things fans. Tonight downtown Miami's Zest Bar & Lounge will transform into Schwifty Things, a pop-up bar serving spooky cocktails, food, and free shots.

Will Thompson and bartender C.J. Ramos, the men behind the Brickell cocktail bar Better Days, won Zest's semiannual pop-up bar competition, which now brings their themed bar back to Zest for one last hurrah.

It began this past May, when eight local bars, including Better Days, Gramps, and Baby Jane, hosted unique pop-up events at the downtown spot, where they presented themes such as Super Troopers and The Office. Thompson and Ramos' Rick and Morty-themed bar sailed through the first round, made it to the semifinals, and ultimately won a final round earlier this month.

Instead of limiting the bar to Rick and Morty, an animated TV comedy with a cult-like following, Thompson and Ramos are kicking it up a notch by incorporating Stranger Things, a 1980s-set Netflix horror-drama. The result will transform Zest into a mysterious cocktail den slinging molecular-style drinks enveloped in billows of smoke and offering eerie decor, prizes, free shots, and Stranger Things-themed bingo.

On the menu, expect color- and flavor-changing drinks and glow-in-the-dark varieties. Among the 11 cocktails, highlights include the Morty Rita, a margarita with a Szechuan sauce rim; the Demogorgon Egg, made with tequila, strawberry, and pineapple; and the Pickle Rick Shot, in which a pour of whiskey is served in a hollowed-out pickle. Cocktails cost $10 each. Food will also be available, but a menu has not been released yet.

As you sip, DJ duo X3SR will perform remixes from the Stranger Things soundtrack, while Wynwood mural artist Muta Santiago will paint a Rick and Morty- and Stranger Things-themed canvas.

Schwifty Things Pop-Up at Zest. 6 to 10 p.m. Monday, June 25, at Zest Miami, 200 S. Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-374-9378; schwiftythings.wpdevcloud.com. Admission is free.