Pawn Broker's Andre Chirinos on Making the Perfect Brunch Cocktail

A key ingredient of any successful brunch is a bubbly cocktail — you know, something light and fizzy with noticeable oomph. Sometimes that means a bacon strip and a dash of Tabasco sauce, and other times champagne and pulp-filled OJ.

At the top of the Langford Hotel in downtown Miami sits Pawn Broker, a bar and lounge by the Pubbelly Boys. On Sundays, the chic spot gives the city's brunch scene something different: a swank rooftop affair similar to those in New York City. With that comes a medley of frothy daytime drinks blended with vodkas, champagnes, and wines.

The space is designed more like a tavern than a restaurant, meaning traditional tables and chairs have been swapped for low-slung lounge furniture surrounding a large bar decked out with glasses, liquor bottles, and a tiered display of Pubbelly's famous doughnuts. (It's brunch after all.)

Given that Pawn Broker is a bar above all else, brunch here is exceptionally boozy. Find all-you-can-drink rosé, frozen rosé, and mimosas for $25. There's also a bloody mary cart where diners can create their own drink ($14).

Pawn Broker's Andre Chirinos recommends a frosé, blended with rosé, crème de mure, grapefruit, lemon, and ginger syrup.
"The perfect brunch cocktail should be something light and vivacious," Chirinos says, "a libation that takes you on a journey and makes you forget that life of hard work and all the late nights — something fresh, savory, and bright."

At Pawn Broker, the most popular brunch cocktail ingredients are champagne and fresh-pressed juices.

"We find that fruit always does the trick," he says. "We like the combination of watermelon juice with a quick hit of habanero bitters to wake you up, tequila to spike your palate, lime to give you that crisp intensity, and cilantro that gives you an herbal and fruity flavor."

During brunch, Chirinos recommends an order of the eggs Benedict with a Blood Orange Delight. Alternatively, the restaurant/bar offers Asian bloody marys, made with lemongrass, soy, and yuzu, and Mexican bloody marys, flavored with chipotle and lime. Consider pairing a cocktail with French toast sticks ($8), which are fried to a crisp golden brown yet retain a warm and pillowy center, or the Broker belly sliders ($10), stuffed with thick cuts of pork hugged by miniature brioche buns.

Pawn Broker, along with a host of other great Miami restaurants, will be at New Times' Out to Brunch from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 20, at SoHo Studios.

Tickets for this 21-and-over event cost $50 through May 19 and $60 at the door. Admission includes unlimited brunch, booze samplings, and more. Purchase tickets at newtimesouttobrunch.com. A portion of ticket proceeds will benefit Special Olympics Florida, and food will be donated to Camillus House & Health.