When you think South Beach megaclub, you think excess, sexy dancers, hand-crafted cocktails ... Wait, do you?
This weekend, SoBe's Mansion will unveil the Cocktails & Dreams bar as part of its new weekly Mansion Made Me Do It party.
The bar is all '80s wham and glam. And yes, there will be near-naked dancers.
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Cocktails & Dreams is inspired by the "1980s' age of excess" and decked out with chrome barrels, glass finishing, mirrors galore, and tons of neon.
Drinks have been given era-appropriate names, like the Cyndi Lauper Lauper and the Weekend at Bernie's. Meanwhile, mixologist George Cavros wears a white suit and skinny tie à la Miami Vice.
"I like to keep things true to the classic form," he says. "But where you can get creative and constantly evolve is in the production of it, how you present the drink, and what you garnish it with."
For the Smoked Manhattan, Cavros lights a plank of cedar, snuffs the flame with the glass in order to capture woody flavors, and then serves the drink on that very scorched slab of wood.
In all, the menu includes ten original drinks and five twisted classics. Whiskey, rum, vodka, gin, and tequila are represented. As for Cavros' favorite, he prefers the Delorean, a whiskey- and cognac-based martini. But even the mai tai and old fashioned are getting a fresh perspective.
"I can't tell you how many times people ask for these drinks, and I can't make them because things are set up like a regular bar," he says. "To be able to set up Cocktails & Dreams properly and have those drinks available is awesome. Not only do we have the menu with these delicious handcrafted cocktails, we use fresh, local produce for a lot of our sweetness. If you want to do a traditional martini but use something like a pineapple sweetener, or something cool and funky like that, we can do it."
For the grand opening party, Mansion promises burlesque dancers in giant cocktail glasses, a rotating bed on the dance floor, and complimentary Eyes Wide Shut-style masks. The theme will change every Saturday, but the Cocktails & Dreams bar is always open.
"If people haven't been to Mansion in a while, I strongly encourage them to come and check it out," Cavros says. "We feel real confident that the public, both tourists and regulars alike, are going to really like cocktails at the club."
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Mansion Made Me Do It: Red Light District. Saturday, October 4, at Mansion Nightclub, 1235 Washington Ave., Miami. Ages 21 and up. The party starts at 11 p.m., and tickets cost $30 plus fees via wantickets.com. Call 786-735-3344 or visit mansionmiami.com.
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