Employees Only, widely recognized as one of the top cocktail bars in the world, and largely credited in the revival of prohibition era cocktails, is slated to open a Miami Beach outpost in September 2016 as part of a domestic and international brand expansion plan.
Situated in the historic Coral House at the Washington Park Hotel, the new location will bring key elements of Employees Only New York to Miami Beach. The design will closely resemble the warm and inviting setting of the original, modified to complement the existing architectural elements of the historic art deco building. Managing partner, Billy Gilroy, will carefully curate vintage and commissioned artwork, with rich, warm tones, and Prohibition era details. Lush landscaping and hammocks will surround the exterior, accessible to South Beach visitors and hotel guests alike as the hotel’s signature restaurant and bar.
“We have always planned to expand Employees Only and Miami Beach was a logical next step. The guests in Miami Beach are very much similar to New York—both figuratively and literally, as many New Yorkers have moved to Miami,” says Gilroy, a founding member of Employees Only. “Miami’s role as an international hospitality and leisure destination fits right in line with our ethos. We’ve built our careers in New York on serving the most successful people in hospitality and the arts and are looking forward to reaching further.”
The dinner menu will feature Employees Only classics—tableside steak tartar; bone marrow poppers; bacon wrapped lamb chops; caviar service and a seasonal selection of fresh oysters served with Employees Only’s signature Bloody Mary Mix. The food and drink menus also will include items unique to South Florida and inspired by Miami’s culture and cuisine. The cocktail menu will offer popular Employees Only’s mainstays, such as the Amelía—Aylesbury Duck Vodka and St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur shaken with puréed blackberries and fresh lemon juice—and the Billionaire Cocktail—Knob Creek Single-Barrel Bourbon shaken with fresh lemon juice, EO Grenadine, and Absinthe bitters.
Housed unobtrusively under a simple, green, New York City awning marked with the bold block letters “EO” since its opening in the West Village in 2004, Employees Only rose to prominence as a bar and a cultural phenomenon. Known for outstanding craft cocktails and in-house traditions such as daily psychics, burlesque shows and complementary chicken soup to nourish night owls near closing time, Employees Only has built and cultivated a reputation as a non-pretentious, nightly destination for hospitality professionals, top chefs, the creative class and food and beverage industry insiders.
