Yelp Miami Pours It On: Battle II

First drink spilled, the Yelp Pours It On battle continued!
This week, the festivities moved to one of Miami’s coolest neighborhoods:
Wynwood. Known for graffiti, artists, hipsters, and food trucks, there was
little doubt that creative craft cocktails were nearby. Who would reign supreme
in this week’s Tanteo takedown?

Starting things out, Louis Salgar of Battle II host Gramps
made a statement with the Cenote Sagrado, which spotlighted lime juice, Modelo
syrup and Stone IPA. South Beach brought some south-of-the border heat via
Sunset Lounge’s Picante Margarita. Alex Mendoza showcased the best of
Cointreau, sugar cane syrup and agave nectar. Midtown made its mark thanks to
Sugarcane’s Jamal Giles. His Cantaloupe Smoke impressed with liquid smoke,
pinch crushed red pepper and fresh cantaloupe. Giving a drink and a show, TSL
Lounge presented the DosCaraDiablo Mojito. Making each cocktail by hand,
Ronaldo Shehadeh showed what was possible with honey, fresh orange juice and red
& green peppers. Ending things on a sweet note, NoVe’s Mar Suarez delighted
guests with the mix of ginger, peach nectar and 24k gold flakes she called the
NoVe Sunset. Judges Jorge Arauz, Allegra Angelo, Chef Miguel Aguilar, and
Y100’s Nicholas Pena bellied up to the bar to decide the course of history.

Meanwhile, as guests sampled each cocktail, they also ate in
a way completely authentic to Wynwood: food trucks and vegan sweet treats.
Grilled Cheese rockstars Ms. Cheezious gave out copious samples of their
classic grilled cheese and ‘must have’ blue cheese & bacon. To end things
on a sweet note, Bunnie Cakes provided a rainbow of vegan cupcake delights from
guava, to strawberry to vanilla to succulent brownie. The choices were numerous
and the yums were even more. Adding to the revelry were Gramps’ DJs who spun
tunes all night long and the infamous bocce ball court, which helped guests
burn off calories.

At this point, though, you’re all wondering: who won? The
battle was tough but in the end, it was all about the smoke (ixnay the
mirrors). Jamal Giles’ Cantaloupe Smoke (from Sugarcane) proved to be a unique combination of
agave, liquid smoke, pinch crushed red pepper, Tanteo Tropical, fresh
cantaloupe, and lime juice. The keen eye of Alex H made sure you could relive
the evening here. Excited guests wrote down their impressions here. There’s one
more battle to go. Who will be the last entrant in the 9/25 Finale? Come back
here next week to find out.

With baited breath,

Johnny T