Finka Table & Tap's New Cocktails Feature the Flavors of Miami

To remain relevant, a restaurant must constantly evolve. Finka Table & Tap is no exception. 

Each quarter, chef and co-owner Eileen Andrade, along with bar manager Alex Aportela, concoct new cocktails with seasonality in mind. "This summer, we drew inspiration from Miami's really hot weather. We wanted cocktails that were not only refreshing but also easy to drink — nothing too heavy," Andrade says.
The drink list includes ten new summer cocktails, each priced at $11. Cocktails range from tequila-based cocktails such as the Plutonic Passion to whiskey-based libations like You Go Glen Coco. More adventuresome imbibers can try the Champagne Papi, which features tropical flavors like pineapple and lemon juice mixed with pisco and champagne, or the Cool for the Summer — a bubbling guava, sour beer-based cocktail with elderflower notes and Boston bitters.  If the drink names catch your attention, you can thank Andrade. "I am in charge of naming the drinks, and that is my favorite part,” she says. The Spanish-influenced names are an ode to Andrade's Cuban heritage, prevalent in the restaurant's food as well.

When making a new drink menu, Aportela creates one to two cocktails a day and Andrade helps tweak them if needed. After they have a list of worthy contenders, the finalists are edited down to create the final offerings. The process takes several weeks.  Andrade recently promoted Ofer Cohen to executive chef, but she says she'll still be involved in the creation of future drink menus. "I love helping come up with new drinks that anyone can drink and playing to different seasonal flavors." Asked why she released a summer cocktail menu when the season is technically coming to an end, she says, "It's always summer in Miami."