Owner/mixologist Abbe Diaz has worked in the
restaurant/nightlife industry for over 30 years with bartending stints in some of New York City’s hottest spots (Limelight, Palladium, Tunnel and Club USA, to name a few). She moved to Miami Beach in 2015, opening Water Lion Wine + Alchemy in December 2021, which snagged the coveted title of “Best Wine Bar 2022” by Miami New Times. We sat down with her for a stirring (pun intended) conversation.
Q&A
There must be a story behind the name of your bar, can you tell us in three sentences or less?
I’m a Water sign in both Eastern and Western astrology and my business partner, Filip Trajkovic, is a Leo, hence: Water Lion! As soon as I imagined the words together, our logo [a lion’s paw print made up of deep blue puddles of water] immediately materialized in my mind in a kind of tingly way, so I figured it was a good choice.
Favorite quote?
Oh, so many! Most of them come from the movies “Working Girl,” “Clueless” and “The Last Dragon” and they all depend on context. My newest favorite nicely encapsulates so much of my decades-long service industry experience: “Women aren’t just vending machines you pour kindness [like tips, or compliments or better shifts!] into until sex falls out. Women don’t owe you anything.” — Ronny Chieng
You can design your own cocktail napkin — what would it be or what would it say?
I would design a biodegradable water-soluble napkin that says, “This napkin will self-destruct in five seconds.”
Current cocktail trend that you love (and why)
Cultural diversity. I remember several years ago asking my favorite bartender at the time to make me a Michelada and she flat-out refused; I think she felt it was “beneath” her lofty expertise. Well, we have a Michelada now and a regular patron also recently texted me a photo of a Michelada from some fancy cocktail lounge in New York.
And I love that we can feature sake and makgeolli [Korean sparkling rice wine] right alongside our fine wines and people are sincerely just as interested in those as our wine selections from places like Slovenia, Lebanon and Turkey.
Current cocktail trend that you hate (and why)
Unfortunately, pretension is a cocktail trend that’s been around far too long. Like making people stand in line outside your entrance, for example. It’s embarrassing to make people wait to give you their money. I would rather take reservations and use handy text-message technology instead.
And making elaborate drinks just for the ‘Gram. I recently had a mezcal cocktail literally made with fog and a crystal clear ice cube. I asked for my second round to be made “less sweet” and the bartender responded he “can’t, because it’s pre-batched.” He offered to “dilute it” as a solution. Sure, put that lavish crystal clear cube in there presumably because it melts slower, but let’s dilute the drink to please the patron who knows that sweetness is for amateurs. Ridiculous.
Best piece of advice you ever gave or received to/from someone sitting at the bar?
Best I ever gave: “Just listen.” [Works for any kind of relationship.]
Best I ever got: “Just pick a date.” [As a motivational deadline for any goal/ accomplishment.]
Best bar snack?
Hands down, deviled eggs. We have four varieties ourselves, but the possibilities are endless.
With so many bars to choose from, why should someone go to Water Lion?
The same reason I chose to open Water Lion, even though there are so many bars to choose from: Because we’ve got what those others are missing.
If I weren’t a bartender, I’d be a … (and why!)
A tarot card reader (I still am!). Drinking wine in bars and conversing with random strangers is evidently what I do best.
Who, living or not, would you want to make a drink for? Why?
Andy Warhol. Personally, I think he was a far better memoirist than he was a painter. The stories he could tell over the course of that drink would be fascinating.
Plus if he took a Polaroid of that drink, it might end up as a painting too. I’d have a cocktail as famous as a Campbell’s soup can!
The SorryNojito
Inspired by the popular mojito cocktail, The SorryNojito has the same refreshing minty flavor notes perfect for sipping in tropical climates, but, as it has less sugar and is made with aloe vera liqueur, Diaz suggests it may be somewhat healthier too!
Ingredients:
½ oz. Haru vodka
1 oz. Chareau aloe vera liqueur
1 dash orgeat
½ oz. coconut water
Instructions:
Pour all ingredients over ice. Stir to serve in a lowball on the rocks and garnish with a strawberry slice.