Swizzle Rum Bar & Drinkery

Swizzle is the second outpost of Danilo "Dacha" Bozovic, a Belgrade-born bartender who started mixing drinks at 20, founded his own bar school there, and was recruited to New York's famed Employees Only before becoming a partner opening Employees Only Miami. Rather than build Swizzle alone, he brought five former Employees Only Miami colleagues in as ownership partners, a shared-success model he's carried through both locations. He's since been named one of Miami's ten best bartenders by Miami Times and published two editions of a bartending guide, "Barkeep." The concept is built around rum specifically, more than 150 varieties, inspired by the Colonial-era cultural weight the spirit once carried in America. The original Miami Beach location leans hard into that history, museum-style murals and photos on the walls, a vintage gramophone for music, and a complimentary rum Manhattan for arriving guests, alongside signature cocktails like the El Presidente and Pisco Smuggler. Bozovic's own priorities are stated plainly: "Service, technique, with the same warm hospitality we provided at EO Miami are number one for us." The Fort Lauderdale location, at 4 W Las Olas Blvd, carries the same concept and cocktail program south: a versatile list running classic and contemporary rum drinks plus tropical-inspired options, a "Casual Elegance" dress code, and a genuinely late-night footprint, open until 2 or 3 a.m. with a 6-8 p.m. happy hour. The food menu stays small but specific, bar classics alongside Serbian-inspired dishes like croquetas with ajvar, a direct nod to Bozovic's own background. This reads as a date-night and special-occasion cocktail destination built around genuine bartending pedigree rather than a themed gimmick, reservations are limited and worth planning around given the intimate seating. At a $$ price point, it's positioned as a considered night out rather than a casual drop-in. Menu items, prices, and hours may have changed since this was written.