Ah, alcohol. The truth serum that turns «I’m fine» into an hourlong dissertation on your ex.
Regrets aside, we all need a little liquid courage to fuel our most legendary nights. That rings especially true during Miami Music Week, when memories are hazy, phone battery is nonexistent and the only souvenir you have is a questionable friendship with a flamingo pool floatie. But hey, legends aren’t built on naps and sensible choices, right?
The sun sets at 7pm but the DJs spin until 7am during Miami Music Week, which is fast-approaching. By that point you’re running on empty and wondering whether you’re part robot, part Red Bull—so why not switch things up and try some cool new spirits?
Here are three innovative liquor brands to fuel long nights on the dancefloor in Miami and beyond.
Maniball Original Peanut Butter Tequila
Maniball is the world’s first peanut butter tequila. Produced with a meticulous blend of five natural, non-GMO ingredients by the venerated Octavio Tequila, it pairs the spirited kick of the brand’s reposado with the velvety depth of peanut butter to deliver an unexpected yet harmonious taste profile.
Maniball brings delightful novelty and a touch of whimsy to your tequila indulgences. Octavio says it’s ushering in a bold new era of flavor evolution by uniting the rich tradition of Mexican tequila with peanut butter to «create a drink that challenges and delights in equal measure.»
Inspired by the energetic antics and clever resourcefulness of squirrels, this distinctive tequila has a playful side but retains an undercurrent of sophistication from its agave notes. Its sweet nuttiness coats the tongue with an indulgent warmth, making you want to store away bottles like a squirrel’s prized acorn stash.
Timber Creek Distillery
Harnessing rich ingredients from the Florida Panhandle and Gulf Coast, Timber Creek Distillery develops vodka, rum and whiskey that ooze with hometown warmth.
The award-winning distillery is located on a family farm in Crestview, Florida, where its proprietors methodically produce their spirits and bottle each unit by hand. It’s a labor of love, utilizing a custom-designed pot still, «thumper» and copper worm condenser to bring out the full flavor profiles of the fruits and grains.
Timber Creek sells apple pie-flavored rum and 100% black rye whiskey, among other unique spirits. The latter is their biggest hit, using Florida 401 Black Rye, a strain that only grows in the state. Meanwhile, their rums are produced with the region’s best Gulf Coast cane molasses from Louisiana.
Axia Spirit
You wouldn’t normally expect sticky tree sap in your alcohol, but Axia Spirit wields it with an elegant touch.
It’s an extra dry spirit distilled from the aromatic resin of the Mastiha tree, an evergreen found in the lush hillsides of Chios, Greece. A fantastic replacement for vodka, tequila and gin, Axia Spirit maintains the unique characteristics of the Mastiha tree while adding rich notes of bergamot and cypress with a fragrant rose aroma.
Each sip whispers of history. The resin of the Mastiha has been used for centuries as a supplement for both health and beauty, and it’s even been used as a snakebite anti-venom. No myths, no magic, just the raw allure of the Mediterranean in a bottle.