This week's bar: Breathe

The scene: Step inside and breathe it in: The sleek interior with an intimate dining room to the left and a roomier lounge, bar and VIP area to the right. The rows of hookahs (there's smoking on the patio till the kitchen closes each night). The Mediterranean-fusion menu and thoughtful cocktail offerings. Opened last fall in Delray Beach, Breathe is designed as "a place for people just to come and chill," says Sylvie Benloulou, Breathe's general manager (who just happens to bear a striking resemblance to Kim Kardashian – "I hear it 10 times day," she says). The signature cocktail: Pisco Punch ($14). This is head bartender Josh Miranda's knockout variation of a cocktail first popularized a century ago in San Francisco. "I wanted to do a classic cocktail that nobody else around here was doing," he says. As fragrant as a fruit-based perfume, the drink delivers a juicy pineapple flavor thanks to the one-two punch of pineapple-infused grape brandy and pineapple gomme syrup (a.k.a. gum syrup, which contains gum arabic as an emulsifier), which gives the beverage its silky-smooth texture. Other noteworthy drinks: "To me, a bartender is becoming more like a bar chef," says Miranda, who practically grew up behind the bar his uncle owned in Portland, Maine. "Anybody can pour a Jack and Coke, but to mix a Manhattan without bruising the alcohol and watering it down takes some skill." Among the specialty cocktails on Breathe's recently revamped drink menu: the Second Marriage, made with Stoli Elit, Aperol, grapefruit juice and Prosecco, and the Mediterranean Manhattan, a mix of Woodford's Reserve Bourbon, Tuaca vanilla citrus liqueur and lemon juice. Bar bites: The bar menu includes a nice selection for omnivores and vegetarians, from mini-burgers dressed with caramelized onion and smoked Gouda to a chopped salad that you could beef up with salmon or chicken. One dish not to miss: the flavorful Mediterranean mezze ($8), an enough-for-two platter of hummus, tapenade, baba ganoush, tabbouleh and falafel, served with grilled pita points. Deals: During happy hour – 5 to 7 p.m. weekdays – house wine, beer and cocktails are half-price, and everything on the bar menu is $6, except the lobster mac and cheese ($13) and the cheese plate ($12). From 7 p.m. to close on Thursdays, enjoy Ultimat Vodka martinis for $5, and on Saturday nights, Stoli cocktails start at $7. Info: 401 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; (561) 330-4526 | Directions, nearby diningT H E C O C K T A I L Pisco Punch 2 ounces pineapple-infused pisco 1 ounce pineapple gomme syrup 1 ounce fresh lemon juice 1/2 ounce grapefruit syrup 1/2 ounce lime syrup Edible flowers Shake all ingredients, except flowers, together with ice, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with edible flowers.