Photo courtesy of Kickstarter
Tobacco Road, Miami's oldest bar and one of its most storied, is closing its original location to make way for a new development - but now comes word that it will be replicated on Norwegian Cruise Line's new ship.
The legendary spot at 626 S. Miami Ave. was issued the very first liquor license in Miami over a century ago and has hosted countless musical performances over the years. At times, it also operated as a strip club and gambling hangout for Al Capone.
But, in recent weeks as redevelopment plans moved forward, the bar announced plans to close its doors for good in the wee hours of Oct. 26 (after a sure-to-be-memorable farewell bash scheduled to last until 5 a.m.).
A Kickstarter campaign was launched on Oct. 18 by employees and patrons to raise money to move furnishings and memorabilia to a new location, which the fund-raising plea pinpointed as 69 SW 7th St. in Brickell, a few blocks away. The campaign seeks to raise $50,000 in donations by Dec. 2, and had received pledges of $1,862 from 31 backers in the first four days.
On Oct. 22, however, Norwegian Cruise Line announced that Tobacco Road will be reborn on the Norwegian Escape, the 4,200-passenger ship that will be based year-round in Miami starting in November 2015.
The bar will incorporate elements of the original Tobacco Road, including the iconic neon sign, memorabilia and photographs. It also will feature cocktails created by Tobacco Road's resident mixologist, Leo Holtzman, including the Chili Mule, featuring ginger puree, Cointreau and vodka topped with a sliced serrano pepper, and the Gateway, a rum-based drink with yuzu juice, elderflower syrup and Prosecco.
It won't be the same as the history-soaked walls of the original, but it's a way to preserve a piece of the legendary institution at risk of disappearing.
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