WRE News: Bar Lab Bids Farewell to The Broken Shaker

Miami Beach, FL – June 12,2024 –  “We wanted to have a place where everyone felt welcomed — play reggae, rock and roll, and have drinks in an outdoor courtyard with no doorman. You could get a cocktail for $7 and beer for less than $3.”

What started off as a temporary pop-up at Sydell Group’s Indian Creek Hotel in December of 2011 turned into the local, beloved bar at The Freehand we all know today as “The Broken Shaker”. Founded by Bar Lab’s Elad Zvi and Gabe Orta, The Broken Shaker made its official debut during Art Basel in December of 2012 after being offered a contract by Sydell Group in May of that year following the pop-up’s success. Since its inception, The Broken Shaker has expanded to Chicago, LA, NYC, and even overseas in Madrid, Spain. The acclaimed mixology bar’s accolades range from two James Beard awards nominations, to being named one of the “The World’s 50 Best Bars” in 2014 and 2015, and receiving  the Best American Hotel Bar award at the Tales of A Cocktail Spirited Awards.

Rising to popularity amongst other hospitality workers – chefs, bartenders, industry people as a whole – and just your average working-class Miamian looking for a casual place to unwind outdoors, The Broken Shaker offered a respite from the typical Miami club nightlife with its casual outdoor courtyard at The Freehand. In the years to come, the crowd diversified to include a host of individuals – including big-name celebrities. Gabe shares, “One night, someone rang me up from The Broken Shaker to tell me that Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union, Adriana Lima, and a few other celebs stopped by and what were they doing? Just playing ping-pong and relaxing.”

Prior to The Broken Shaker, the dynamic duo behind Bar Lab Hospitality crossed paths on Miami Beach. 

“I met Elad while working at La Piaggia Beach Club on South Pointe Drive and Alton,” Shares Gabe. “Elad had recently come down from NY and had the same background with mixology. We connected after that, realized we shared the same passion for Hospitality and F&B, and the rest was history.” Elad continues, “Karim Masri and Nicola Siervo from KNR Hospitality gave us the first real platform to do a cocktail program as Bar Lab  at the Living Room at the W Hotel South Beach.” As a pop-up, Bar Lab was nominated for a James Beard Award for Best Cocktail Program.

After selling The Broken Shaker at The Freehand to Generator Hostels last month, Bar Lab has a host of projects lined up in Miami. “Hospitality is our passion, it’s what we love,” shares Gabe. “One of our projects has been Margot in South Beach. We’ve gotten a liquor license with a full kitchen and will be opening in a second generation space at the Flamingo Pointe South Beach, next to Pura Vida.” Currently, Bar Lab boasts a number of acclaimed bars and restaurants in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington DC, operating over 20 venues across the country.

“Bar Lab brought a sense of community and culture to The Freehand with The Broken Shaker,” Gabe continues. Elad shares, “We helped shape the new Miami.”

– Written by Raquel Martinez

Gabe Orta, Elad Zvi, & Roy Alpert