Miami’s first gin bar at the Metropolitan by Como mixes things up with the Traymore 1939 cocktail.
The Traymore 1939 cocktail is named in honor of the historic Art Deco building that was revamped to become the Metropolitan by COMO.
Those searching for serenity along a sometimes rowdy Collins Avenue now call upon the Metropolitan by COMO as their sanctuary. It is one of the newest oceanfront hotels in Miami Beach’s recent development boom. The awardwinning hotel group based in Singapore (responsible for the ultra-exclusive Parrot Cay just a short plane ride to the south) renovated the historic Art Deco building originally known as The Traymore (circa 1939) last fall. The group preserved architect Albert Anis’s original façade and exterior accents, as well as floor tiling inside.
Within these debonair environs is The Traymore Restaurant and Bar, Miami Beach’s first gin bar, which serves the refreshing Traymore 1939, named in honor of the building’s DOB. The refreshing libation is the creation of head bartender Jack Araque, who presides over a collection of more than 40 imported gins.
The cocktail is at once urbane and tropical with gin, orange curaçao, house-made rosemary syrup, fresh grapefruit juice, a splash of fresh lemon juice, and a couple of dashes of Angostura orange bitters. Araque combines the ingredients and shakes vigorously before pouring the libation into a cocktail glass. For depth, pomegranate juice is added to the pale yellow drink, and then Araque skewers an amarena cherry (an intense Italian variety) with a fragrant sprig of rosemary for the garnish.
The cocktail is the creation of The Traymore Restaurant and Bar’s head bartender, Jack Araque.
“Gin has its own personality and flavor,” says Araque, formerly of Edge Steak & Bar at the Four Seasons, and who is, at heart, a gin drinker. “It’s unique in that each gin starts with the juniper concept but becomes different at the end due to the botanicals.” For the Traymore 1939, Araque uses versatile Bombay Sapphire, a London dry gin with gentle juniper notes and floral accents thanks to a distinct process that vaporizes the botanicals as opposed to boiling them in the spirits.
For the final flavor, Araque wants his guests to experience the “gin encounter,” as he refers to it. “Even people who are not turned on by gin will like this cocktail,” he says, describing the drink’s balanced and dry characteristics. It starts with a hint of pomegranate, but it’s the long rosemary finish that particularly pleases him. Metropolitan by COMO, 2445 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305-695-3600