Octavio Gonzalez's Golden Palm cocktail at Palme d’Or is an extension of The Biltmore Hotel's Hollywood-halcyon experience.
The Golden Palm cocktail at the Palme d’Or restaurant in the historic Biltmore recalls the hotel’s glorious past.
There are few things more luxurious than gold. Pair that with hints of citrus, chocolate, and silken cream, and you've got yourself quite a cocktail. To find this lovely nightcap, you'll need to follow Coral Gables' leafy back roads to the historic Biltmore Hotel—a magnificent structure with Italian, Spanish, and Moorish architectural influences. The hotel is home to the longest-running fine French restaurant in the area: Palme d'Or ("Golden Palm"), where formal multicourse meals are whipped up by Michelin-starred chef Gregory Pugin, who draws from his life experiences in southwestern France. Guests dine on delicacies from roasted rabbit loin to sweetbread fricassee, or the seven-course tasting menu, which starts with La Langoustine au caviar and might end with chilled peach with verbena ice cream and black currant coulis.
The magic continues at the bar, where since 1998, head bartender Octavio Gonzalez has crafted chic cocktails for the elite—including presidents, Hollywood superstars, and local legends—as they dine to the sounds of a live jazz pianist amid black-and-white photographs of actors and actresses in their halcyon days, all designed in part to pay homage to the original Biltmore Hotel restaurant. Rare and highly coveted bottles are on display, including the Chivas Brothers' 62 Gun Salute whisky (a cool $600 for a one-ounce pour) and the luxurious Grand Marnier Cuvée 1880, an expression made from Grand Champagne in the Cognac region as a tribute to the founder of the Marnier Lapostolle House and the "golden age" of the late 19th century.
Gonzalez suggests that after dinner you sip on his tribute to the restaurant's namesake, The Golden Palm (which also happens to be the name of the Cannes Film Festival's highest honor. To make this luxurious cocktail, Gonzalez gently stirs vodka with Galliano, a golden-hued Italian liqueur made from 30 herbs and spices, including anis, vanilla, cinnamon, juniper, and lavender. He then stirs in some chocolaty crème de cacao, adds a layer of house-made whipped cream, something he says his guests love watching, and dusts the top with 23k edible gold flakes for a stylishly sweet finale. 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables, 305-913-3200
THE GOLDEN PALM
2 oz. Grey Goose vodka
¾ oz. Galliano liqueur
¾ oz. crème de cacao
1 oz. whipped cream
Stir vodka, Galliano, crème de cacao, and ice in a shaker. Prep the cream—a combination of heavy whipping cream and half- and-half—in a clean shaker. Shake cream vigorously to create a light consistency. Strain the cocktail into a martini glass and layer the cream on top. Sprinkle with 23k edible gold flakes.