The top cocktail bars in Miami for drinks that are actually worth the price

Located inside the residential building X Miami. Jaguar Sun is run by bartender Will Thompson and ex-Momofuku and Per Se chef Carey Hynes, so the drinks and food are both on the same level (that level being: yum). The drinks are straight-up fun—both to say (hello, Green Ghoul) and drink (we recommend venturing into the “exotics” section for a good time).

This South Beach spot is an omnipresent contender at the top of best bar lists both local and national. There’s a reason: the cocktails here are near-perfect and range from the classic (like their flawless daiquiri) to the wild (like the sweet potato pain killer, which features sweet potato juice). Happy hour runs daily from 4pm to 8pm and features 95 cent oysters and $9 drinks.

Dark, smokey and best after 2am—The Corner is a night owl’s dream thanks to its placement in Miami’s 24-hour district. Don't think the late hours mean slouchy service. The drinks here are serious business, and bartenders take their time with them. The kitchen stays open late too, so order up a Chicago dog when the munchies hit.

The ol’ faithful of Miami’s cocktail scene. Stop by the Broken Shaker day or night, and you can be sure you’ll be handed something delicious by an impossibly cool-looking bartender. Plus, the space is the sort of tropical paradise you’d expect from a proper Miami Beach cocktail bar—think mismatched lounge set-ups sprinkled about a courtyard with a pool. Rolling deep? The large-format drinks are perfect for small thirsty groups.

A low-key watering hole in Downtown Miami, this spot is headed by bartender Mike Reich and owner Brian Griffiths—a Broken Shaker alum and former owner of South Miami’s Shelley’s. The focus is on Florida-centric food and drink with frozen piña coladas and palomas to keep things interesting. Pro tip: get the floater. 

This nostalgia-soaked Cuban spot in Little Havana placed 21st on the World's 50 Best Bars’ 2022 list. Decorated cantinero Julio Cabrera mans the bar, slinging stiff, rum-based drinks and handcrafted mojitos that no one can resist. One of those rare places that attract locals and tourists alike, La Trova provides an electric atmosphere, live music and drink prices that won’t send you home broke. Bonus: It’s two bars in one! On Fridays and Saturdays, the restaurant’s backroom turns into a neon-tinged, ’80s-themed party starting at midnight.

Moody, intimate, nostalgic—the Standard Spa Miami Beach’s sexy little cocktail den hidden away off the front lobby harkens back to bars of the ‘70s and ‘80s, when drinks were more involved and people actually sat around to sip them. Monterrey Bar’s menu puts a modern spin on classic tipples with thoughtful garnishes, martini service options and tableside finishers that enhance the overall drinking experience.

This Florida-inspired bar is the second collaboration between Beaker and Gray partners Ben Potts and Brian Nasajon, and brings that same urbane charm and dedication to eclectic cocktails that the team is known for. Cocktails play with the Florida theme like the “Floradora,” a riff on a Moscow mule made with Ketel One Botanicals Grapefruit-Rose vodka, raspberry syrup, fresh citrus, ginger beer, and a fortified rosé aperitivo; and the “Pink Panther,” a tropical gin sour made with gin, guava-lavender syrup, bitters, bianco vermouth, fresh citrus, and egg white.

You’ll want to get dressed up for this one. Nestled inside the meticulously restored Surf Club, this bar hearkens back to Miami’s early-twentieth-century glamour with bartenders outfitted in white jackets, a lushly landscaped patio overlooking the ocean and a team of modern mixologists eager to shake up cocktails that excite the palate. Order anything head bartender Valentino Longo is mixing or opt for a chilled glass of champagne, proffered elegantly from a silver trolley.

The tassel-trimmed, rosewood-hued bar called El Salón isn’t your typical “boom boom” South Beach venue with top-shelf brands and theatrical presentations. In fact, you won’t see a brand or a smoke-filled bourbon glass at all. El Salón is a cocktail bar at the Esmé Hotel Miami Beach on charming Española Way that creates its very own nuanced spirit blends and cocktails in a setting that belongs not to a time or a place, but to an essence.

Miami’s first vinyl listening bar is a cozy 50-seat venue where the soundtrack is just as important as what you’ll be sipping (most likely, a highball, but there are other fun options too). Dante’s HiFi draws inspiration from Japan’s listening bars, which came to prominence in the 1950s, where people would come together to listen to and discover new music. It’s a simple pleasure the hidden Wynwood bar endeavors to reprise for Miami’s music-curious, thanks to a state-of-the-art sound system and a growing collection of nearly 8,500 vinyl records curated by DJ and Dante’s musical director, Rich Medina. 

Swizzle drinks—the delicious ancestor of the frozen cocktail—are the specialty here, but this moody SoBe cocktail bar also boasts a roster of classic drinks and fresh twists on well-known favorites. Expect mojitos and rum runners to be served alongside fresh concoctions such as the Madame Hong, lead bartender/partner Danilo “Dacha” Bozovic’s highly praised recipe from his tenure at New York City’s Macao Trading Co.