Sarasota’s Best Kept Secret Bar? Inside Dive & Hive With Broc Smith

On the last episode of Why Sarasota, we checked out the most intimate steakhouse in town, and I told you about a secret spot for a late-night beverage. Today you get to check it out with me. I headed down the plaza to sit with Broc Smith and walk through Dive Wine & Spirits, the speakeasy hidden behind it, and The Hive. If you have driven past this corner a hundred times without knowing what is back there, this one is for you. Here is the full tour.

It Started With a Couple of Empty Storefronts

What I love about this story is that none of it was one grand master plan. Broc told me the space was vacant when he got here. The liquor store is actually two separate spots that were not joined, so they took down the wall between them and combined the units, permits and all. The room we filmed in has its own history too. It used to be the wine bar associated with Puccini’s next door, with a door connecting the two at one point.

From there it grew one step at a time. First the liquor store got built out. Then came the speakeasy behind Dive. Then he started running out of room, mostly because he kept buying more product, so he took over another space for storage. The plan was to turn it into a fine wine room, and he did put some fine wine in there, but there was a working drain, so they decided to build another bar instead. Then, as Broc tells it, the drain stopped working. That is the restaurant business in a nutshell, and it is exactly the kind of honesty you get from him.

Why This Corner

I asked what drew him to this particular plaza, and his answer was smart in a way that only someone who knows the industry would think of. The anchor here is Detweiler’s, the Amish-owned market, and that was the main draw. He compared it to his other store, where Publix is the anchor and also a direct competitor on beer and wine. Next to a grocery that is not fighting you for the same customers, he said, you could do well simply by being able to sell beer and wine freely. Picking a location because of who your neighbors are, and are not, is a lesson that applies well beyond liquor stores.

The Speakeasy Behind the Bottles

Now for the part people come for. Tucked behind the store is the cocktail den, and the concept is genuinely clever. Because you exit through the shop, the entire store effectively becomes the back bar. Broc put it this way: most cocktail programs cannot justify having that many bottles open at once, but his setup lets him open absolutely everything and let people taste anything. There is always someone who needs to move a brand, so it works within the larger ecosystem of the Florida liquor industry. For you, it means access to bottles you would rarely get to try by the glass anywhere else.

As for what to order, Broc says almost everything on that menu is worth your attention, including things outside his own comfort zone. One of the originals is the pineapple paper plane, a more tropical, more crushable nod to a modern classic. They pour thoughtful mocktails too. He credits three talented mixologists who work without ego, passing drinks to each other and asking where the flavor needs more depth or richness without losing balance. That collaboration is why the cocktails land the way they do.

The Hive: A Room That Changes With the Night

The room we sat in, with the artwork Broc and I talked about, is The Hive, and its whole personality is flexibility. Coming from the liquor side, he built it to do what people actually need. When there is a wine dinner, they can sell wine. If you need graphics on the TVs, that is covered. On a regular week it might be Taco Tuesday, where his guy Omar makes what Broc calls some of the best salsa verde on earth. And if you want to rent it out, he tries to keep that reasonable rather than charging thousands for a private event.

Hospitality Without the Attitude

My favorite part of the conversation was about how they treat people. Broc told a story about one of his guys getting a little uppity when someone ordered a Captain and Coke, insisting that is not what they do. Broc’s take was the opposite: of course we can make that. His point is that if you scare someone off by telling them what they do not know, they are never coming back. But if you meet them where they are, you can share what you are excited about, like pointing a spiced rum drinker toward Chairman’s Reserve instead of lecturing them. That is a hospitality philosophy I wish more places had.

When You Can Actually Go

Here are the practical details from Broc himself. The cocktail speakeasy next door opens Monday through Saturday at 5 p.m., running until 11 p.m. on weeknights and 1 a.m. on weekends, sometimes a little later when it is busy. The liquor store is open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. every day except Sunday, when it runs noon to 7 p.m., and the store stays open as long as the bars are open. Events like Taco Tuesday are announced rather than fixed, generally starting around 6 and going until about 9. As Broc joked, everyone complains there is no late night food in Sarasota, but everyone still wants to eat at 6.

Broc’s Own Sarasota Picks

I always like to close these by asking what else people should try, whether they are visiting, newly moved, or have lived here so long they have stopped looking around. Broc said the beach and boat life is the obvious main draw, and he hopes people help keep it special. Beyond that, he pointed to La Violetta as one of the best restaurants around town, run by Emilio and Rosie, where so much of the stuffed pasta is made by hand. He also gave a nod to the Gulf Gate area, mentioning Brine and Mouthole barbecue, joking that Mouthole hardly needs more publicity given the wait when they open. He noted this whole area is building out to the east, with more on the way, so it will be interesting to watch.

What This Says About Sarasota

Here is the Realtor in me talking. Concepts this creative do not open just anywhere. They go where people are moving and where a community will support something ambitious. Watching one operator build a liquor store, a speakeasy, an event room, and a steakhouse into a single corner tells you plenty about the momentum here. If Broc’s name sounds familiar, it should. He is also behind Maso, and you can watch that conversation in my look inside Maso Steakhouse. The pace of new development was also one of the things that surprised me most in my four-year honest take on living in Sarasota.

There is a practical side too. When buyers ask me about a neighborhood, what matters is not just the house, it is what sits within a few minutes of the front door. Knowing where the good bottle shop is, which bar is worth the detour, and what is opening next is part of understanding a location, and it helps you choose the right Gulf Coast community rather than just the right floor plan.

Plan Your Visit, or Your Move

You will find Dive, the speakeasy, The Hive, and Maso together at the corner of Clark and 41 in Sarasota. You can browse the shop at diveliquors.com and see what is coming up at hivebarsrq.com. Thanks again to Broc for showing us around Swift, Maso, Hive, and Dive. If you want more of my honest local picks, start with the Sarasota restaurants I send every new client to, or browse all of my Why Sarasota videos. And if places like this have you thinking about making the Gulf Coast home, that is exactly what I help people do. Take a look at my relocation page, then reach out any time and let’s talk about your move. Watch the full tour above, and subscribe on YouTube so you never miss the next one.