Thanks to a number of proficient Magic City bartenders and the expansion of cocktail tradition, the Magic City has made a reputation for itself with a rising mixology sport providing loads of locations to whet your whistle.
From champagne spots and homegrown success tales to tiki bars and Latin-themed ideas that serve an quaint from a cafecito, listed here are ten cocktail bars — listed in alphabetical order — to get your drink on in Miami:
Broken Shaker
2727 Indian Creek Dr., Miami Beach
305-531-2727
brokenshaker.com
What started in 2012 as a pop-up bar has since flourished and matured into one in every of Miami’s — and now New York City’s and Los Angeles’ — hottest and famend cocktail bars. The creation of Bar Lab’s Gabriel Orta and Elad Zvi, over time Broken Shaker has racked up a number of coveted honors, together with Best American Hotel Bar at Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards. And it is all set on the location of a Miami Beach resort, the place the property’s courtyard oasis doubles as the house to a largely outside area the place twinkling lights set the tone by the pool deck the place vacationers, vacationers, and locals collect on mismatched patio furnishings to sip some fairly chic cocktails. The menu presents a number of methods to curb your starvation and quench your thirst. The roster of cocktails modifications in line with the season and obtainable contemporary elements. There’s even a “mocktail” menu for the designated drivers. Curb your starvation with bites like avenue tacos, Haitian-style griot and pikliz, shawarma fries, and a falafel burger.
Cafe La Trova
971 SW Eighth St., Miami
786-615-4379
cafelatrova.com
You can’t go to Calle Ocho with out stopping at one in every of the World’s 50 Best Bars. It’s all due to the magic made by chef/proprietor Michelle Bernstein’s consolation meals fare and Cuban cantinero Julio Cabrera, whose professional drink-making is ready in opposition to a backdrop of guayabera-clad musicians contained in the weathered façade of an Old Havana edifice. You can’t go unsuitable with the award-winning “Buenavista” ready with gin, elderflower liqueur, mint, cucumber, and lime juice, however there’s one thing uniquely Miami about ordering a mojito or daiquiri right here. The drink is “thrown” — a present that entails tossing the liquid from shaker to shaker to create an airborne arch — earlier than the bartender spontaneously bursts right into a choreographed dance quantity. It’s a cocktail and a present in a single.
Champagne Bar
9011 Collins Ave., Surfside
786-482-2280
fourseasons.com/surfside
Some bars are good for partying. Others for enjoyable. And then there are the bars price splurging on, just like the Champagne Bar on the Four Seasons Surf Club. Home to the biggest assortment of champagne in Miami, this stylish palm-fringed, emerald-green bar presents up a bevy of beautiful seasonal libations, and plenty of riffs on basic cocktails impressed by international cities. If none of them whet your whistle, a custom-crafted cocktail cart obtainable beginning at 6 p.m., priced at $85 per particular person, will get you the expertise of your selecting. Or there’s at all times the lengthy checklist of champagne and glowing wines by the glass or bottle.
Esotico Miami
1600 NE First Ave., Miami
305-800-8454
esoticomiami.com
Esotico companion Daniele Dalla Pola loves tiki, from the motion’s storied previous to its bevy of drinks infused with unique juices and served in its very personal type of glassware. And to create the proper Miami oasis, Dalla Pola has traveled the world in the hunt for tiki inspiration for his Miami bar and restaurant. Decorated in glowing pink neon and loads of greenery and bamboo, it delivers Polynesian pop in spades. And what of the cocktails? Traditional tiki recipes are painstakingly recreated right here, ready with fresh-squeezed juices, specialty rums, and housemade mixes, and served in {custom} glasses designed by Dalla Pola himself. Sure, you would order Esotico’s twists on the mai tai or piña colada, however you would be lacking out on the actual stars of the present, just like the “Missionary’s Downfall,” a wildly herbaceous drink that blends brandy and rum with contemporary mint. A line of limited-edition mugs permits you to take the tiki to go: Try the Elvis-themed chalice with Esotico’s “King Ta Moko,” a mix of gin, ardour fruit, housemade ginger orgeat syrup, and contemporary citrus.
Jaguar Sun
230 NE Fourth St., Miami
jaguarsunmia.com
When Jaguar Sun closed its doorways for a short pandemic-related hiatus in 2021 to supply a short lived pop-up with Sunny’s Steakhouse, Miami bemoaned the lack of one in every of its most quirky and comfortable cocktail bars. Lucky for us, the institution has since returned, a refreshed reboot of its unique outpost within the foyer of the X Miami constructing providing a menu that marries unique staples with just a few favorites from its days as Sunny’s. Drinks by bartender Will Thompson embody a choice of aperitifs, martinis, and exotic-inspired cocktails. A “Freak of the Week” means there’s at all times one thing new to order up, and the joyful hour presents a “Tiny Tini” with a selection of gin or vodka for $8, or classics like a Tom Collins, Manhattan, or margarita for $10 a pop. Hungry? Chef/proprietor Carey Hynes additionally ups the bar-chow sport that features Jaguar’s signature Parker House rolls served with honey-whisked butter, or an ideal bowl of pasta to pair together with your drink.
Lost Boy
157 E. Flagler St., Miami
305-372-7303
lostboydrygoods.com
Some days you need to sip nitrogen cocktails with durian espuma amid pulsating beats and coloured lights, and a few days you merely desire a good drink in a low-key, easy-going joint. That’s the place Lost Boy is available in. They return sanity to consuming with a cool, no-nonsense vibe and a menu of equally approachable drinks. Here, all of your favourite classics are tweaked with tiny twists — suppose a “Penicillin” with orange-blossom honey, or an espresso martini mellowed with a touch of CBD oil. Can’t make up your thoughts? Order the “My Idea!” and the bartender will craft you a bespoke cocktail only for you. Pinching pennies? Your pockets will get pleasure from a visit to Lost Boy throughout its each day joyful hour when drinks are half-price from 4 to 7 p.m.
Monterrey Bar
40 Island Ave., Miami Beach
305-673-1717
standardhotels.com
If you are in search of an aesthetic cocktail, head to the newish Monterrey Bar, a venue that pays homage to the Standard Spa, Miami Beach’s namesake roots, and the Monterrey Motel, which opened at 40 Island Avenue in 1953. There’s a cool speakeasy vibe on the intimate lounge and six-seat, T-shaped bar, which presents visitors with its tackle basic cocktails paired with elevated gentle bites. The menu presents up a choice of “Light and Bright” or “Slow Slipper” cocktails which are easy-drinking or wealthy and clean. You can’t go unsuitable with the “Gold Standard,” a mix of Aberfeldy 12-year scotch, ardour fruit liqueur, sherry, amaro, English tea, and a 24-karat-specked ice dice. Pair it with a bar meals menu that provides small plates like truffled tater tots; roasted bone marrow served with crispy shiitake mushroom and toast factors; and hen liver pate with pickled pearl onions, fig jam, and Melba toast.
Spanglish
2808 N. Miami Ave., Miami
786-744-2019
spanglishmiami.com
Founded in 2019 by Miami beverage and consulting firm Cocktail Cartel founders Oscar Ortega, Hector Acevedo, Eddie Fuentes, and Manuel Picon, Spanglish continues to boast one of many metropolis’s greatest beverage packages. Today, Spanglish has grow to be extra than simply an homage to Miami’s Latin-proud “unofficial” language. It’s additionally a method to translate the Magic City’s distinctive tradition right into a one-of-a-kind expertise that encompasses each food and drinks. When it involves the libations, drinks are as artistic as they’re Instagram-worthy. Try the Cafetera old style, a signature drink poured straight from a fiery-red cafetera right into a glass positioned inside a cigar field. It’s thick with aromas of rum, espresso, and cigars due to a mix of 1888 aged rum, cigar bitters, and a chilly brew espresso discount that completely represents its creators’ cultures of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Nicaragua.
Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Co.
237 twentieth St., Miami Beach
305-763-8217
mysweetliberty.com
One of the most well-liked Miami cocktail haunts was born in 2016, the brainchild of restaurateur David Martinez, Blackbird Ordinary creator Dan Binkiewicz, and world-class bartender John Lermayer. Together, the trio opened a Miami Beach bar meant to be a hangout the place locals might collect for correct cocktails and a killer menu by chef Michelle Bernstein. Adorned with a pink neon signal that urges patrons to “pursue happiness,” it rapidly turned some of the revered bars on this planet, having since been named one of many World’s 50 Best Bars and brought house a number of Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. Even Lermayer’s premature loss of life could not cease the plucky bar and restaurant from staying true to its mission to serve good drinks and good meals in a vigorous and pleasant environment.
Jesus Perez pours expertly made drinks at Swizzle Rum Bar & Drinkery.
Photo courtesy of Luis Antonio
Swizzle Rum Bar & Drinkery
1120 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
swizzlerumbardrinkery.com
Danilo Božovic got here to city to open the Miami Beach outpost of Employees Only after serving because the principal bartender on the flagship in New York, and though the beloved bar has since closed, Božovic’s legacy lives on. Today, the bartender is understood for his potential to make a persistently poured drink with out the usage of jiggers or different measuring instruments, the likes of which you will discover at Swizzle Rum Bar, the place rum aficionados can quickly witness tiki drink abilities to the max. The menu is rum heavy, as you’d think about, however they’re among the greatest libations the Magic City has to supply. Then you ask: What if tiki was born in Mexico City? And what if the Zombie was created in Oaxaca? Božovic solutions these questions on the Miami Beach cocktail bar on the Viajero Hostels in Miami Beach — one door down from Swizzle on the Stiles Hotel — the place Delirio Tiki Bar presents a collaboration between Bozovic and the Swizzle crew that provides visitors a Miami- and Latin American-themed tiki expertise proper subsequent door.