MIAMI LAKES, Fla. – The holiday season is here, and while you might expect Santa Claus to come to town, there’s another less cheery Christmas figure that has made his way to South Florida.
The Grinch himself is taking over a speakeasy in Miami Lakes.
Speakeasys are typically hard to find, and this one is no different as it’s tucked away behind a restaurant.
From the outside, Chela’s Cocteleria looks like your typical restaurant in Miami Lakes.
But when you walk in and pull back the curtain, you step out of South Florida and into the Grinch’s layer where only the who’s who of Whoville can come inside.
The Grinch has taken over the Santa Diabla speakeasy, and the European-style spot is starting to look a lot like Christmas thanks to the green man himself.
“So the Grinch took all the decorations from Whoville and dumped them all here in Santa Diabla,” marketing director Vanessa Martinez explained.
Every nook and cranny is wrapped in festive paper and twinkling Christmas lights.
The Grinch’s mischievous spirit has run wild, transforming the sultry speakeasy into a wondrous Grinch-themed hideaway.
“We’re what you call a proper bar. We make all of our juices -- garnishes are made in house. All of our spirits are top shelf,” Martinez said.
They’ve created special cocktails dedicated to the guy we love to hate, and Local 10 entertainment reporter Alexis Frazier even got the chance to step behind the bar with the green man himself.
“You know, I’ve always wanted to be a bartender so I’m living out my dreams,” Frazier told the Grinch.
“You have terrible dreams,” he responded.
Besides dissing Frazier, he taught her how to make the drink that is true to Miami culture -- the Grinch’s coquito.
It’s made with coquito, milk, aged rum and winter spices, and this is just one of the festive drinks on display this holiday season.
“The Grinch may or may not make an appearance from time to time,” Martinez said. “I don’t know his schedule. He’s not like Santa, he doesn’t travel around the world. But the Grinch is also busy. He’s busy dealing with the whos in Whoville.”
The capacity inside is small so reservations are strongly encouraged.
But they’re staying open into the new year so more people can get a chance to run into the Grinch.
“We wanted people to be able to get their chance to see the bar, experience the cocktails that we worked really hard on putting together. So we wanted to make it easy and accessible for as many people to come,” Martinez said.
And drinks aren’t the only thing on the menu as there’s also a variety of small bites to choose from.
Click here to make reservations.