These days it's fairly common for a restaurant or bar to have a signature.
In Broward and Palm Beach counties, we have craft beer bars galore, wine bars like you wouldn't imagine, bourbon- and whiskey-centric concepts, and tequila-focused bar programs.
The one spirit that seems to have been overlooked recently is rum. Given our hot and humid subtropical climate and our beachside environment, it's a bit of a shame.
To celebrate the base spirit and birthplace of its infamous mojitos, Dada recently released its own rum and line of cigars.
See also: Ten Best Bartenders in Broward and Palm Beach Counties
The restaurant recently expanded its mojito list with a variety of rum-based craft cocktails. Many of these new drinks will feature homemade small-batch spiced rums like the Batch #2 spiced rum; botanical spirits, including Batch #6 botanical rum, made with herbs straight from the restaurant's garden; and bitters, such as cigar bitters.
"We wanted to offer something else besides our mojitos," said manager Carlos Gambarini. "The idea of making more rum-based cocktails came to us naturally, since we specialize in mojitos [a rum-based cocktail] already, and it really fits the spirit of Dada -- a 1920s Florida house, from the time of the intriguing and mystical 'roaring '20s', rum-running, Hemingway, Prohibition, and the spreading of the Dada Movement out of Zurich and out to the world when the first world war ended -- a time when rum was king."
While the idea seemed like a good fit with the restaurant's existing specialty cocktail, the staff also wanted to uphold the avant-garde nature of the art movement for which the restaurant was named.
"The other inspiration was the Dada philosophy rebellion and counterculture," said Gambarini. "We wanted to specialize on something other than the 'trendy' and popular libations of today, like whiskey and gin."
Given the ties to the tropics, Hemingway, and the time period, cigars naturally fit into the concept. The restaurant teamed up with Delray Beach's Cigar Ink to bring Dada Cigars by Cigar Ink, which are hand-rolled in Nicaragua using a variety of premium long-leaf tobacco. Other brands will also be available for purchase on the premises.
Cigar smoking will be limited to the herb garden to avoid bothering nonsmoking guests.
Dada is located at 52 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Call 561-330-3232, or visit dada.closermagazine.com.
See also:
Ten Best Restaurants in Delray Beach
Rodney Mayo and Scott Frielich: South Florida's Savviest Restaurateurs
Follow Sara Ventiera on Twitter, @saraventiera.
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