The menu at the Historic Florence’s Cocktails & Coffee leans into the classics, but with local twists and local spirits. Their take on a Manhattan is called the Historic Florence. The Meadowlark nods to a Paloma. But the most unusual cocktail — and the most exciting drink to watch the bartender make — is their Classic Spanish Coffee. It’s a hot drink that has notes of warm cinnamon and caramelized sugar, and is made with Hamilton 151 Rum, Grand Marnier, Nite Owl Coffee Liqueur, and coffee from Olympia Coffee Roasting. Cost: $14.
How it’s made
Any drink that involves a flame gets my full attention. Maybe that’s the Neanderthal instinct coming out or maybe it’s because my first “official” drink on my 21st birthday was a Flaming Lamborghini from Feruqi’s. On a recent Tuesday night, a friend and I sat at the bar and ordered the Classic Spanish Coffee cocktail from the bartender, Chris, who admitted it’s his favorite drink to make. We watched him light the 151 rum at the bottom of the glass on fire and swirl it around to let the flames caramelize the cinnamon sugar coating the rim of the glass. He filled the rest of the glass with coffee and liqueur, and topped it with whipped cream and freshly grated cinnamon.
The key local ingredient
Nite Owl Coffee Liqueur is made of strong Missoula stock — a Montgomery Distillery creation using sun-dried Oaxaca beans roasted by Black Coffee Roasting Company. The label mentions notes of chocolate, strawberry, and cardamom. I can’t confidently say I found all of those, but you don’t need a highly evolved palate to enjoy the warm drink’s rich boozy flavor.
The backstory of the drink
Despite the name, Spanish Coffee is not from Spain. It seems loosely connected to Spain’s carajillo (coffee + liquor) and Mexican spiked coffee, but the part where the sugar and rum get set on fire is a very American flourish. From what I found, it was invented in the 1970s and popularized at Huber’s Cafe in Portland where the flaming pageantry was treated as a tableside ceremony — because of course Portland is behind a half-bougie, half-lumberjack cocktail trend.
The story behind the Florence building
Speaking of flames, the Florence Building has a complicated history with fire. The original Florence Hotel opened in 1888 but burned in 1913. It was rebuilt, and then … it burned again, in 1936. In 1941, in the middle of the Great Depression, it was rebuilt again as a seven-story, grand hotel in Art Moderne style, and that’s the building we have with us today. And it hasn’t caught fire since! Knock on wood, right? Just to be safe. But it’s worth noting that in classic Art Moderne style, it is made of not-too-flammable concrete and terra cotta tiles. There’s a lot more history to the Florence, but we’ll save that for another time. These days, it’s not a hotel but a historic building with ground-floor shops and upper-level offices, plus a ballroom. And just past the coffee and cocktails bar is an open lobby with couches and a glowing fireplace. In my opinion, it’s hands down the most elegant atmosphere in town.
The revival of the bar
The little space just past the front doors has had a few lives. It’s been Posh Chocolat. It’s been Drum Coffee. For a stretch, it was just sitting there — an empty nook that people walked past on their way to other destinations. Historic Florence Cocktails & Coffee opened in early November by Lauren Taylor, whose family bought the building in 2018, and Paige Livingston, who owns One Eleven, a gift and accessories shop on the ground floor. This bar is already bringing the historic building back to life, and there are plans for reviving more of the building’s empty spaces. Stay tuned.
Historic Florence Cocktails & Coffee is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Sundays.
