S.W. and Rich Hermansen
Guest Writers
wine@lbknews.com
The area south of Phillippi Creek on the Sarasota Tamiami Trail attracts visitors from the Clark Road exit on
I75 to the east, from downtown Sarasota to the north, from Venice to the south, and from Siesta Key to the west via Midnight Pass Road and Stickney Point Road.
On a field research trip, we found an interesting bottle shop that deserves mention. In the Merchant’s Pointe strip mall alongside Detwilers Farm Market at the intersections of Stickney Point Road, Swift Road, and Clark Road, judging from the exterior of Dive Wine and Spirits, it appears to be merely another one of the many beer, wine, and liquor stores in the Sarasota. The surprises show up when you go inside.
We asked the guy at the front counter about the Dive Cocktail Den. He directed us to a middle aisle lined with shelves. It came to a dead end at a steel door that appeared to be the entrance to a storage room or a cooler. We looked right and left and saw only walls. After hesitating for a moment, we slid the heavy door open. We knew that we had found the Dive Cocktail Den. It had a speakeasy feel. A large bar filled much of the space, with a few tables at one end and the other. “Dive” had two meanings: blue lighting and TV screens showed underwater scenes shot by divers, and upon seeing the rows of assorted bottles behind the bar we immediately characterized it as a “dive bar”.
Our first impression did not hold up after we checked the list of drinks. The bartender, James, hand-crafted basic cocktails such as the Proper Sour (Amaretto, Bourbon, Lemon, Bitters, Egg White) and Jungle Bird (Rum, Pineapple, Lime, Aperitif). We decided to try something more exotic, an Amaro Sazerac (Sother Teague Amor y Amargo, House Amaro Blend, Peychaud’s Orange Bitters, Chartreuse Vegetal). James swirled the Chartruese in the glass. The Sazerac Bar in New Orleans uses Absinthe to make its eponymous Sazerac. He poured the Chartreuse from the glass into a small tumbler and passed it to us. He then set the Amaro version of the Sazerac in front of us. The bitter herbal flavors made a refreshing Aperitif.
We noticed a coastal menu from the “pop-up” restaurant and bar on the side of the bottle shop closest to Clark Road. We confirmed that the Hive Bar served a different menu than the Dive Cocktail Bar. We went back through the steel door. On the way we noticed excellent selections of wines on the shelves. The hand-written shelf labels below the bottles added a touch of elegance to the displays.
When we entered the Hive Bar, I asked whether it had been reserved for a private party. No, they assured me. People at separate tables interacting with people at other tables and at the bar may be regulars who greet other regulars. We sat at the bar and ordered plump baked oysters and a grilled octopus salad with a decent Pinot Grigio.
It took us time to explore the three different venues in the one location. It makes sense the way the staff has integrated them. The Dive Cocktail Den has a theme of aperitifs to prepare for dinner. The bottle shop offers great selections of wines. The Hive Bar offers a modest corkage fee for wines bought in the bottle shop and served in the Hive Bar.
S. W. Hermansen has used his expertise in econometrics, data science and epidemiology to help develop research databases for the Pentagon, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Agriculture, and Health Resources and Services. He has visited premier vineyards and taste wines from major appellations in California, Oregon, New York State, and internationally from Tuscany and the Piedmont in Italy, the Ribera del Duero in Spain, the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale in Australia, and the Otego Valley in New Zealand. Currently he splits time between residences in Chevy Chase, Maryland and St. Armand’s Circle in Florida.
Rich Hermansen selected has first wine list for a restaurant shortly after graduating from college with a degree in Mathematics. He has extensive service and management experience in the food and wine industry. Family and friends rate him as their favorite chef, bartender, and wine steward. He lives in Severna Park, Maryland.
