Florida-Themed Craft Distillery to Open in Allapattah in December

Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood is about to welcome a new resident: a Florida-inspired craft spirits distillery. Tropical Distillers will set up shop at 2141 NW Tenth Ave. in December as the headquarters of J.F. Haden’s Craft Liqueurs.

The brand’s portfolio includes a small-batch mango liqueur and its newest offering, citrus liqueur. Both are made with Florida-grown fruits and free from preservatives, artificial colors, or flavors.

The new space is designed to be a full brand experience and will include an in-house cannery, bar, and tasting room with a vintage, tropical feel.
As far as the cocktails go, “We will be using some of the top mixologists in South Florida to create cocktails that are fun and refreshing, adding tropical twists to classic cocktails such as the mango old fashioned,” says Buzzy Sklar, Tropical Distillers' CEO.

There’ll also be a retail and gift shop with J.F. Haden's merchandise and distillery-only products. Food trucks will visit, and there’ll be live-music nights, among other events.

“Unlike many other distilleries that are very industrial with a lot of barrels, this is an authentic Miami experience from the look and feel of the décor, to the flavor profiles, to the cocktail menu,” says Sklar. “We based the design and drew inspiration from the Rat Pack times of old-school Miami. We wanted to transport our guests to a different era in time, adding to the overall brand experience.”
To create the look and feel, the team used a Florida design firm and drew on their experience in owning Florida-centric bars and restaurants.

The distillery will offer behind-the-scenes tours of the company’s small-batch production process. There’ll also be a branded tour bus available to book for private events. When not being utilized for parties, the bus will buzz around Miami offering rides to the location.

The folks behind the new venture are Sklar, former NFL pros Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, and Miami-based realtor Kim Rodstein.

“We have always been a Miami-based company and now we are taking the production to our own backyard,” Sklar says of the decision to have Allapattah as a home base.

The company launched its mango liqueur in January 2020 and it has since been picked up by national distributors.