While Miami's art scene and food landscape are burgeoning these days, the city still truly comes to life when the sun (and that heat) goes down.
The city is constantly reinventing itself while managing to keep its roots intact. And the same goes for its bar and nightlife scene. There are glitzy, Art Deco bars that are still going strong seventy years on in addition to a crop of boundary-pushing craft-cocktail spots setting up shop away from South Beach. The design-minded beach city has it all if you know where to look.
Linares, who splits her time between Miami, New York, and the rest of the world as a travel photographer, shares her favorite spots for the perfectly crafted cocktail. Below, the best bars in Miami that you should be drinking at now.
Casa Túa
Eighteen years in, romantic Mediterranean villa, Casa Tua has become one of the town’s most beloved institutions. And their vine-covered, lantern-lit garden is not to be missed for a glass of wine or two.
Le Sirenuse Champagne Bar
Positano's Le Sirenuse opened up their first stateside outpost in Miami's The Surf Club, Four Seasons, an American Express Fine Hotel & Resort property. With a glorious terrace overlooking the sea, the champagne bar merges Miami's cocktail culture with Italy's apertivo traditions.
Casa Florida
Keep your eyes peeled on cocktail bar, Casa Florida, in East Little Havana which is currently going through "beautification" and is slated to open again mid-May.
The Anderson
If you want a little 80s circa Miami Vice, this laid-back neighborhood bar is the place to go. A little out from South Beach in Miami's Upper East Side, come here for the jukebox, red leather booths, animal-print wallpaper, and playful cocktails from the team behind the Freehand Hotel's Broken Shaker.
Faena Hotel Miami Beach
Designed by film director Baz Luhrmann and his costume designer wife, Catherine Martin, Faena Hotel Miami Beach is most definitely over-the-top in every sense—including the bars within. The subterranean Saxony Bar is the place for late-night decadence, with Art Deco-styled wall murals, a golden ceiling, and a DJ-driven soundtrack. The Tree of Life is more laid back, with outdoor seating and views of the pool and ocean.
Sweet Liberty
In at number 21 in 2018's World's Best bars list is Sweet Liberty in Collins Park. Known for clever cocktails, and one of South Beach's best happy hours (from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day of the week specials include $.95 oysters and $5 cocktails). Another standout is their southern cooking which is served from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. every day.
Related: A Design Lover’s Guide to Miami
The Broken Shaker at the Freehand Hotel
What started as a pop-up in 2012, quickly became permanent when locals realized this tropical retreat tucked away in the Freehand Hotel was something special (they've since expanded to Chicago, LA, and New York). The Broken Shaker offers seasonal craft cocktails with a pool party vibe. Don't miss the daily punch cocktail special with fresh herbs from the bar's own garden.
No. 3 Social
This vibrant rooftop oasis above Wynwood’s Arts District is both a tropical bar and an art gallery. You’ll find a music-driven lounge where DJs spin everything from Afro-Caribbean to techno beats, and tequila and mezcal-driven cocktails inspired by local ingredients. There's also a Dim Sum Sunday Brunch Party from 3:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. every Sunday.
