Trummer’s Apotheke cocktail lab set to open in Wynwood in January 2013

By Galena Mosovich | Miami.com11/1/2012

A mysterious speakeasy is under construction deep in the booming neighborhood of Wynwood. Tucked away, west of the main drag of NW 2nd Ave. on 23rd St., Trummer’s Apotheke is set to enchant cocktail connoisseurs with its medicinal concept and intuitive staff.

The new bar is the brainchild of famed mixologist Albert Trummer, an Austrian alchemist of sorts who opened his first bar, Apotheke, in Chinatown back in 2008 when most New Yorkers thought he was absolutely mad. The area was completely untouched by the nightlife world at the time; nevertheless, Trummer forged ahead and was rewarded with success. So was the area. Shortly after his bold move, Chinatown became home to countless bars and nightclubs.

Trummer sees Wynwood in the same light. While Miamians are already pretty hip to the burgeoning neighborhood - heading there in droves on nights like Art Walk on Second Saturday - there aren’t too many options to enjoy proper cocktails.

By late-January 2013, you’ll be able to enter a state-of-the-art lab for cocktail creation with a secret entrance wedged between two graffiti-covered walls. Featuring an onyx bar, which pays homage to old European apothecaries where chemists operated working counters to concoct prescriptions, Trummer and his team of clever mixologists will introduce you to cutting-edge cocktails made with premium spirits, homemade elixirs, exotic herbs, and a list of nearly 40 specialty options and seasonal selections.

Expect the bartenders to pick up on what ails you upon arrival. They’ll immediately offer what they think will make for the perfect remedy with the help of restoratives such as opium essence, Austrian elderflower essence, wormword and herbs and oils from ancient Italian monasteries.

“We’re not going to call ourselves ‘doctors,’ but rest assured, we’re wearing lab coats because we know how to tell our guests what they need to feel better,” said Trummer.

For a quick pick-me-up, Trummer recommends trying one of his Champagne cocktails with Campari or Amaro to help increase alertness. He’ll add a touch of these liqueurs with his homemade thyme and rosemary elixir that he says is “guaranteed to energize the most exhausted of minds.” Both herbs are traditionally used for arousing clarity, perception and even improving recall.

Trummer also plans to provide four distinctive mixology stations within the bar, offering an Aztec and Mexican vibe, a Latin and South American influence, an Asian flair, and very classic American service bar.

It took Trummer more than a year to find the perfect space in Wynwood for this eccentric Miami outpost. With the help of David Lombardi, a prominent Wynwood land owner, he says he’s lucky to get in when he did.

“It’s a place where everyone is trying to be right now and it has a worldwide reputation for being super cool,” said Trummer. “I’m excited to be a part of it.”