The Best New Bars in Miami

Recently, vermouth and sherry-based drinks, along with classic Spanish cocktails and Italian spritzes, are popping up in the local scene, further shaping the city’s evolving cocktail landscape. Miami’s drinking culture really reflects its melting pot history, and this year, some iconic bars and restaurants have reopened with a refreshed look and feel, bringing back old-school favorites alongside international, travel-inspired drinks.

From tiki recipes and passion fruit infusions to sparkling concoctions of all sorts, our latest cocktail map highlights the best drinks and the hottest new spots to try them, from Coral Gables to Miami Beach and everywhere in between.

Sunny’s Steakhouse

Sunny’s Steakhouse in Miami’s Little River has been the talk of the town (many towns, actually) since opening in October 2024.

The massive space and the dishes are worth the hype, but the unspoken star is the bar, featuring cocktails like the refreshing Green Ghoul (tequila, mezcal, poblano, cucumber, lime) and the Monchito, a coconut-washed agricole rhum drink with sherry that evolved from a piña colada to a ti punch of sorts. The menu includes house cocktails, martinis, and “fine & fancy” options — the fino martini service, which comes with a sidecar, is a must.

Made with gin, clarified passionfruit, and fino sherry, it’s a steal at $18 per person. Co-owner Will Thompson calls the Living Dead cocktail — a bold mix of clairin, absinthe, tabasco, passion fruit, ginger, and allspice — an unexpected hit, saying, “The ingredients are all generally too loud, but they end up balancing each other nicely to work for guests who don’t normally fit the mold of an adventurous drinker.”

Bar Bucce

Opened last spring in Little River from the team behind Macchialina, Bar Bucce was just named a 2026 James Beard Semifinalist for “best new bar.” The bottleshop and pizzeria is big on beer and wine, but for the cocktail lovers, the drink list leans Italian just like the food menu.

Try a low ABV Red Foulard made with Savoia (an all-natural orange wine aperitivo), Select Aperitivo (a Venetian bittersweet orange liqueur), and soda; or go bold with spirit-forward, aperitif-driven gin cocktails like the Signora del Lago (22% ABV) or Martini Catalano (25% ABV).

Bar Centro

Inside Miami Beach’s Andaz Hotel, Bar Centro by Jose Andres Group opened last summer to hotel guests and everyone with a menu of little bites, sweet bites, caviar service, and dialed-in, well executed drinks.

Start with a caviar cone and the olives (modern and traditional include liquid olives that burst when you pop them into your mouth). Choose from spirit-forward cocktails like the Reverse Carajillo that is prepared tableside on dry ice and the Ancient Olive, a deconstructed martini served with a side of fresh olive brine good enough to drink on its own. Skip dessert and go for the Key Lime Pie Daiquiri with de-condensed milk and egg white instead, a deliciously sweet and uniquely South Florida cocktail.

Counter the booziness with a heartier snack like a grilled cheese made with four cheeses: Idiazabal, manchego, mozzarella, and brie.

Vecinos

Vecinos means “neighbors” in Spanish, and it’s a fitting name for the welcoming new hotel bar inside the historic Art Deco Trouvail Miami Beach.

With bites from the Caracas Bakery crew, the food menu is Venezuelan/Spanish (think tequeños, pan con tomate, sardines, gambas al ajillo). The bar program comes from the team behind Medium Cool and acclaimed bartender Christine Wiseman, and drinks run the gamut from classic margaritas, martinis, and an espresso martini made with Venezuelan rum to more interesting house combinations like the Platano Negroni (swaps gin for tequila and features plantain-infused Campari and sweet vermouth) and the Verde Fresquito (turns vodka, white port, Midori, guanábana,

aloe, and lime into something bright and nostalgic).

The Bar at the Shelborne

The Shelborne by Proper is a sight for sore eyes, an iconic Art Deco property reimagined for Miami’s chicest travelers, diners, and drinkers after a major renovation last year.

With multiple restaurants and bars (Pauline, Little Torch), it’s the “lobby” Bar, open daily, that keeps us coming back to pair creative cocktails with ceviches, fritters, or tacos. Standout drinks include the Pandan Negroni made with coconut oil-washed reposado tequila and the Ginger Yuzu Swizzle with aged rum. Martini service is a must: The Shelborne Martini takes both gin and avocado oil-washed vodka, dry vermouth, Cocchi Americano, fennel, and tangerine olive oil for a savory, aromatic pour; and the Reborne Martini veers indulgent, combining reposado tequila, espresso, cherry and coffee liqueurs, coconut, and strawberry.

Torno Subito

Massimo Bottura’s recently reopened Torno Subito is a restaurant first and foremost, but the drinks at this Design District eatery command attention. With an aperitivo-focused cocktail program created by Vice Versa’s Valentino Longo, Torno Subito breaks the list up into categories: bubbles, bitter, savory, and citrus.

The Spritz Della Casa is an Aperol spritz with a twist, with orange wine instead of prosecco and a berry kiss from strawberry vermouth. The Torno Martini, made with vodka or gin, vermouth, and apple verjus, is a simple winner. Whether you’re dining or not, grab a spot at the gorgeous bar for posh Italian vibes and great people watching.

Tin Tin

Tin Tin comes from the folks behind Tinta y Cafe, and boasts Cuban roots and a Europe-inspired food menu.

Only Miami insiders will understand how the cocktails are named – Rosita “La Saguesera,” for example, is a tequila sour of sorts; “saguesera” is Miami slang originating from the phonetic Cuban-Spanish pronunciation of “South West,” a Miami area encompassing neighborhoods like Little Havana and Westchester all the way down to Kendall. Topped with matcha mint foam, the Macho Matchado is a take on a sparkling mojito; Roy Maduro brings strong sweet plantain/banana vibes to the glass; and the Clarita Guayabita is a modern clarified milk punch-style drink, using cream cheese powder and guava honey, then topped with a house-made mini Maria cookie.

All slightly unconventional and made for adventurous drinkers.

Hoy Como Ayer

If you’ve watched the 2014 movie Chef, you’ll probably remember a scene where Sofia Vergara and Jon Favreau’s characters visit this Latin music club in Little Havana for live music, drinks, and dancing.

Well, after closing in 2019, Hoy Como Ayer (HCA) has recently made a triumphant return, and it’s bigger and better than ever. At 4,000 square feet, the renovated historic indoor/outdoor music venue now includes a 65-seat cocktail bar and salsa room with live bands and salsa music on vinyl, and a 140-seat wine bar among other fun spaces to explore.

The drinks menu features classic cocktails like a Cuba Libre with 12-year-aged rum, a carajillo, and a spicy paloma. HCA is currently working on a new food menu, but for now, serves small bites like pizzettas, guacamole with plantain chips, tequeños, and meatballs.

Sra. Martinez

Another establishment making a comeback, chef Michelle Bernstein’s Sra Martinez reopened in Coral Gables (the original location was in the Design District) after 12 years.

Spanish-inspired cocktails here know no bounds. Think a sangria made with whiskey and lambrusco, a classic gin and tonic, a Sour Español (Spanish brandy, rum, Licor 43, lemon, egg white, and Espelette pepper, which is a staple in Basque cooking), a sherry cobbler (it includes a trio of sherries, whiskey, and Frangelico), and the Sra Martinez, a gin cocktail with red vermouth. Food, as expected, is also Spanish-inspired and comprises hot and cold appetizers, paellas, croquetas, and steaks.

Pop in on a Friday or Saturday to experience live music that will have you dancing in your seat.

Mae’s Room

From the Michelin-starred Ariete team, Mae’s Room is Coconut Grove’s answer to a proper classic cocktail bar.

Dark, sexy, and timeless, this walk-in-only speakeasy (closed Sundays) focuses on doing the fundamentals really well. This is where you go for a solid Dark and Stormy, a Gin Fizz, or a Corpse Reviver with no gimmicks and no distractions.

Martini drinkers can choose between gin or vodka, dry or dirty, olives or a twist. The menu is refreshingly clear, spelling out exactly how each drink is served: up, short, tall, on the rocks, or over crushed ice.

In a part of town dominated by sports bars and divey spots that have been around for decades, Mae’s Room finally gives the Grove a classic cocktail destination.