Intermezzo Coffee & Cocktails
St. Petersburg, FL
The Company We Keep
Intermezzo is a specialty coffee shop and craft cocktail bar. Their inspiration draws from the many European and American cafés in the 1950’s and 1960’s which served as meeting places for artists, writers, directors, actors, and other creatives to gather over drinks. Focusing on balance in flavors, they aim to create beverages that are both rooted in tradition and those that have modern, creative variation.
In Interview
We asked them the same four questions we ask every partner...
When people leave, what do you hope they’re saying?
Ideally not much about us at all. The best scenario in my mind is that they were too caught up in each other to notice the room doing its work. We want the experience to be so fluid, natural, and flawless, it’s almost unnoticeable
What’s something guests might not notice but you care deeply about?
The hour when the room turns over from café to bar — the light comes down a few percent, the music changes shape, and nobody announces it. Most people just feel like the evening arrived on time.
Where are you choosing to do less these days?
Chasing trends. There's a version of this business where you're always reacting to whatever the internet decided was interesting that month. We opted out, and the room got better for it.
What should someone order on their first visit?
From the cafe: The Honey-Lavender Latte. It's been with us since the beginning and it's become a signature: floral without tipping into perfume, sweet without becoming dessert.
From the bar: the Sirenuse. A tropical, refreshing, and distinctly Italian spritz riff with our house-made limoncello, passionfruit liquor, fresh basil, and bubbles.
