Cuba's national cocktail and Miami's defining warm-weather drink: white rum muddled with fresh lime, sugar and torn mint leaves, topped with sparkling soda water and crushed ice.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
The mojito traces back to 16th-century Havana, when British naval surgeon Sir Francis Drake reportedly mixed a similar drink to combat sailors' scurvy on the Cuban coast. The modern formula codified in early 20th-century Havana at La Bodeguita del Medio, where Ernest Hemingway famously kept a regular table. Miami's Cuban exile community brought the cocktail north in the 1960s; today every Calle Ocho bar runs one, with Versailles and La Carreta among the canonical addresses. The canonical garnish is hierbabuena, a Cuban mint variety.
Tip from the editors. Muddle the mint very gently; bruising releases oils, pulverising releases bitter compounds. Use crushed ice (not cubes); the rapid dilution and the cold are part of the structural texture. Cuban mint (hierbabuena) is more delicate and fragrant than spearmint; if you have access to a Cuban grocer or grow your own, it makes a noticeable difference.
Versailles in Miami is the 1971 Cuban institution at 3555 SW 8th Street, open until midnight every night and 1am on weekends with the ventanita pouring.
Try: Cuban full plates and ventanita cafecito
Tip: Weekend 1am closing on the dining room; the ventanita stays open later. Order vaca frita and a cortadito.
Yardbird in Miami Beach is the Southern brunch room at 1600 Lenox Avenue, with 27-hour brined fried chicken, biscuits and bourbon-maple syrup on a Saturday.
Order: Chicken n watermelon n waffles with bourbon-maple syrup
Tip: Book the patio at 10am for Saturday brunch; the queue stretches to 1pm by noon.
La Carreta in Miami is the Calle Ocho Cuban diner at 3632 SW 8th Street, a sister room to Versailles serving abuela-style plates and cafe con leche from 8am.
Signature: Lechon asado, Vaca frita, Flan
Order: Lechon asado with moros y cristianos and a side of tostones.
Tip: The ventanita pours strong cafecito at any hour; the dining room is quieter than Versailles next door.
Joe's Stone Crab in Miami Beach is the 1913 South of Fifth seafood cathedral, serving chilled stone crab claws with mustard sauce from October 15 to May 1.
Signature: Stone crab claws with mustard sauce, Key lime pie, Hash browns
Order: Jumbo or large stone crab claws with the mustard sauce and a side of creamed spinach.
Tip: No reservations for dinner; arrive by 5pm or use the take-away counter next door for the same claws to-go.
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