Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Shine Bar Gets Ready to Open at Disney Springs

[Disney4me]

The new Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Shine Bar restaurant at Disney Springs is putting on finishing touches for a summer opening.

The inspiration of celebrity Chef Art Smith, a native of Jasper, Fla., (and a former cast member in the Disney College Program), the restaurant will give guests a taste of classic Florida fare – Fried Green tomatoes with Shaved Country Ham, Iron Skillet Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Sugar and his signature Fried Chicken and Doughnuts.

In the Southern Shine bar, Florida flavor reigns with distilled spirits made here in the Sunshine State as well as farm-fresh herbs and house-made elixirs used to enhance cocktails. In fact some of the sips , such as vodka from Winter Park Distilling and craft beer from Crooked Can in Winter Garden are locally made in our own back yard.

Dwayne McQuillen, the restaurant’s general manager, told me that the Southern Shine bar will offer nearly a dozen Florida-centric drinks. He recently gave us a preview and shared a few of the restaurant’s fresh Florida recipes.

This recipe for the Bootlegger uses Wicked Dolphin rum from Cape Coral, Fla., and homemade grenadine.

Bootlegger
Serves 1

• 1 rounded teaspoon blackberry jam
• 1 ounce Florida dark rum
• 1 ounce Florida light rum
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons grenadine
• 1 tablespoon simple syrup

1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and pour over ice.

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