John Falco — the creator of Lincoln's Beard Brewing Co., Strange Beast, Maxwell Bros, and Cry Baby Creamery — has entered a new area of experimentation: cocktail bar.
Thorn, Falco's latest libation-focused establishment, is now open in a new standalone building on Bird Road. It's also one of the first businesses to open along the MiLine Miami project and Ludlam Trail, a three-phase, mixed-use development that will connect four parks, three waterways, two Metrorail stations (Dadeland North and South), and five schools spanning 11 acres.
"This is our first foray into liquor, as well as having a full kitchen," the Fire Pit Hospitality founder tells New Times. "With our other concepts, we'd make our food out of a pizza oven, but this is the spot I always envisioned where good food and cocktails could really come together."
In Falco's words, the large industrial-chic space offers patrons an ambiance of "decayed elegance." The restaurateur, who used trips to New Orleans for inspiration, says the buildout — which includes a covered outdoor lounge area — took about two years to complete. A true labor of love, for Falco the space represents an apotheosis of sorts, a communal gathering spot that pops with walls of windows, vinelike potted plants, and soaring ceilings dotted with the occasional golden chandelier.
The menu, created with head chef Frankie Suarez, is another dream come true, giving Falco a chance to step outside the confines of brewpub fare to offer more inventive riffs on dishes meant to pair perfectly with a good stiff drink.
But make no mistake: Thorn is a cocktail bar first and foremost.
"We wanted to create a menu in the style of American bar fare where you can pull from any cuisine and technique and have this wide variety of dishes done well with good ingredients using fun flavors from wherever the hell we want," says Falco, adding everything is made to be shareable. "And being a bar first gives us the flexibility to do that."
Thorn's "Socks & Slides" cocktail, made with Johnnie Walker rye and whipped pineapple juice
Fire Pit Hospitality photo
People won't shut up about the steak frites, however. The dish offers unsuspecting diners a combination of churrasco that's charred until tender and served over a bed of twice-cooked fingerling potatoes that are smashed, deep-fried, and tossed in the chef's chorizo aioli before the dish is finished with a housemade chimichurri and fresh-grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
But again, you came for the cocktails.
Falco says the menu will rotate frequently. He touts "They Call Her Lola" as a crowd favorite, as well as Thorn's rendition of an Aperol spritz, made with vodka, passionfruit, lemon, and orange flower water (along with the Aperol and the spritz).
Other libations run the gamut from the familiar — say, the "Tres Delinquentes," made with Tanteo habanero tequila, lime, and agave — to the ultra-elaborate — like the "Sunset Dreams With Big Cypress," which combines rum, sherry, lime, and guava, with a dash of Peychaud's bitters.
Within the space, you can also find a second location of Cry Baby Creamery, Falco's homage to a Miami-inspired ice cream parlor. The counter serves an assortment of desserts — from a pastelito ice cream to birthday-cake cookies topped with rainbow sprinkles — with late-night hours to match the bar and restaurant.
And there's a newly launched happy hour — one Falco says he'd put up against any happy hour in Miami.
"It is my goal to be that cocktail bar that folks will travel out of town or go out west for," Falco shares. "Even though we're young, we're ready to be that type of spot for Miami."
Thorn's happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. and features $10 specialty cocktails, $8 well cocktails, buy-one-get-one draft beers and glasses of wine, a $6 shot-and-beer pairing, $10 happy-hour bites, and $1 oysters.
Thorn. 6976 Bird Rd., Miami; 786-803-8973; instagram.com/thornmiami. Sunday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.
