Super Bowl 2020: San Francisco's Buena Vista Café brings Irish Coffee to South Beach

ByAmanda del Castillo KGO logo

Friday, January 31, 2020

SF's Buena Vista Café brings Irish Coffee to South Beach

This Super Bowl Weekend, a pop-up bar on South Beach is serving a San Francisco treat. The City's iconic Buena Vista Café will be there when 49ers fans land to give that extra kick of caffeine and a splash of something more.

MIAMI BEACH, Fl. (KGO) -- This Super Bowl Weekend, a pop-up bar on South Beach is serving a San Francisco treat.

The City's iconic Buena Vista Café will be there when 49ers fans land to give that extra kick of caffeine and a splash of something more.

Buena Vista's iconic Irish Coffee calls for two sugar cubes, a splash of piping hot coffee, a hit of Tullamore Dew Whiskey, and some cold cream.

Those on South Beach can enjoy the cocktail without having to fly across the country.

"We did this literally in about five days," Mike Palma, Executive Vice President of the Jesta Hospitality Group told ABC7 News.

Palma is a Bay Area native, turned Miami resident.

He put the plan in motion after seeing a similar pop-up at the NFC Championship game.

"And I'm like, whoa! I wonder if I can do that down here and get the Niner fans to bring their bar to South Beach," Palma said.

Fortunately, Buena Vista delivered. Those in charge shipped all the necessary ingredients, sent San Francisco bartenders, and made sure the product was authentically Bay Area.

"All of our equipment that we make the Irish Coffee with at the restaurant is with us here in South Beach," Buena Vista bartender, Tony Hernandez said.

His colleague, Nicholas Pledger put on a show, Thursday night.

The cocktail was a hit on South Beach.

Miami resident Alex Alfonso said, "It's cold on top, hot on the bottom, and it keeps you going throughout the whole day."

"The two of them mesh seamlessly and I love it so much," Parkland resident Amber Hersh added.

Even Kansas City Chiefs fans couldn't resist.

Over Super Bowl Weekend, the two bartenders are expecting to make 2,500 Irish Coffees. That number is a walk in the park since Buena Vista normally prepares 2,000 in one day.

The drinks provide a little taste of San Francisco in South Florida.

"It's quite a distance from Miami," Hersh said. "So, to have them here is icing on the cake."

Not sure Irish Coffee will reign over the region's Pina Coladas, but many admit Super Bowl Weekend calls for some caffeine.

"We're in Miami, so it's all about Cuban coffee," Alfonso said. "So, I needed more coffee to get through this weekend because it really just started today."

Fans can find the pop-up at Essex House Hotel, near the iconic Clevelander.

POP-UP HOURS OF OPERATION:

Thursday, January 30 | 8 p.m. - 12 a.m.

Friday, January 31 | 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. / 8 p.m. - 1 a.m.

Saturday, February 1 | 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. / 8 p.m. - 1 a.m.

Sunday, February 2 | 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

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