Sip Around the World in SoBe

Lapidus Lounge, Ritz-Carlton South Beach

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My weekend at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach had a rather international slant. Sure, Miami is the Gateway to the Americas, but it seems like the 375-room hotel isn't only steps from Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive, but a short jaunt from the Champs-Elysees, an Abu Dhabi marketplace, and the posh outskirts of London. Over the course of just two hours by the pool, I chatted with a bartender from Romania, a pool attendant from the Middle East, a family of four vacationing from Brighton, England, and while taking a dip, I overheard the question, "Why did you move from Cameroon to Paris?" The Ritz-Carlton doesn't need any help burnishing its worldwide reputation, but the international influence reflected in both the staff and guests makes the atmosphere even more sophisticated.

This is an observation not lost on the Ritz brass, which is why the four corners of the globe pop up everywhere in the hotel, mostly in the dining and cocktail menus. At the DiLido Beach Club, which surprises with a menu influenced by the Mediterranean and North Africa, I paired the lamb gyro flatbread with the watermelon sangria, a fresh twist on the Spanish staple. (To offset the blazing sun on the hottest summer days, the bar uses liquid nitrogen--small drops that fizz like Alka Seltzer-- to keep the drinks Arctic cold). The drink menu at the Lapidus Lounge (shown here) isn't afraid of remixing mixologist standards either. The blackberry caipiroska is the cool cousin of the Argentinian caipirinha: citrus vodka, simple syrup, muddled limes and about a half quart of fresh blackberries in a hurricane glass. (The mojito martini is worth a test drive as well.)

We arrived in South Beach 18 hours after the world's most popular professional basketball player announced, "I'm taking my talents to South Beach." Funny though, after two days of passport-stamping conversation and relaxation, word that a pro athlete from Cleveland was coming to town just wasn't so interesting.

Tags: Miami | Ritz-Carlton | South Beach