Juicy Cocktail Bar is Worth the Squeeze
By David Rolland
Photos by Anna Mucci
Since opening in November 2023, the team behind Juicy Cocktail Bar hasn’t hidden from their limited space, proudly describing their establishment as “a 22-seat hole-in-the-wall” and a “compact cocktail heaven.” A block off Clematis Street and right next door to its “sort of” sister establishment, Tropical BBQ Market, Juicy is proof that size doesn’t always matter.
What matters to co-owners Jason Lakow and Rick Mace, are the ingredients. Jason said, “We view cocktails through a fruit-forward lens. We celebrate the bounty of South Florida fruit and introduce our clients to the amazing fruits, plants and spices that we can cultivate right here.” But don’t worry, there’s no need to brace yourself for intensely fruity, sweet drinks perched with little paper umbrellas. “A perfect example on the menu right now is The Come Up, which is basically a Sazerac with passion fruit,” Jason said.
“Sometimes drink creation comes very easily,” Jason said. “Other times there is a lot of research and development involved like the Guava Pastelito, which is a clarified Milk Punch with Thai Tea, and kind of tastes a lot like the classic Cuban pastry.”
The current permanent cocktail menu features close to 20 original creations, but they’re not resting on their creative laurels. “During the summer, we will work on distilling fruits to make new flavors. That’s a big one on our list. Especially when it comes to sharp flavors or tastes like being able to remove the heat from a spicy pepper so we can just taste true habanero. That would be a cool margarita idea,” Jason said.
Right now, their focus is on establishing best practices while managing a very seasonal menu. Fruit can be finicky, but they’re working on expanding and rotating the menu so that they always have their best fruit forward.
Manager Josh Newcombe has a few recommendations for Juicy newbies unsure of where to start. “There are absolutely two pretty uncontested bestsellers, the Guava Pastelito and the Tony’s Masala Margarita. Besides the obvious fact that they are both delicious, I think the sweet potato, turmeric and cara cara oranges in the margarita intrigues people. Everyone loves a good margarita, and we tried to stay true to the classically refreshing citrus aspects of a traditional margarita while giving people a new take with some interesting flavors. I’d highly recommend starting with this one as it has quickly become one of our flagship cocktails, and, beyond that, I think it perfectly captures the essence of what we are striving to accomplish,” Josh said.
Josh also said not to sleep on their food menu. “Our menu is small and sometimes easy to breeze past, but I have personally eaten enough smoked brisket quesadillas to say, with confidence, that it is a must try.” If you’re not convinced, remember that Juicy comes from the minds that brought you Tropical Smokehouse.
The origin of Juicy was a love affair, not only the love between Jason and his wife, Sandra, but also their mutual love for fresh fruit. “Falling in love with fruit is like falling in love with wine. Everyone has their ‘epiphany fruit’ just like a glass of wine and it’s always the same reaction: “I had no idea things could taste like that,” said Jason.
“Sandra is from Seattle, so obviously no tropical fruit there. She has always been an avid gardener. I grew up here and my father, who loves plants, used to tell her that nothing grows in Florida but peppers. When we moved back to Florida in 2014, she started proving my father wrong fast and quick. We grow papayas, mulberries, elderberries, ginger, bananas, dragon fruit, blackberries, blueberries, monstera fruit, and Barbados cherry.”
Expect all of them in a cocktail at Juicy soon.
202 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach
juicywpb.com
@juicycocktailswpb
