The Living Room at Cipriani Downtown Miami is the lush terrace lounge above the ICON Brickell waterfront restaurant, a Bellini bar on a planted deck with Biscayne Bay running south past the windows.
Tip: Open Wednesday to Saturday 19:00 to 02:00. The bar is the easier walk-in; tables require the restaurant reservation downstairs.
Address: 465 Brickell Avenue, Miami, FL 33131
Broken Shaker in the Freehand Miami Beach courtyard is the Bar Lab cocktail program that brought Spirited Awards hardware and World's 50 Best recognition to a tucked-away brick-lined patio off Indian Creek.
Tip: Open daily from 17:00; happy hour runs early evening. The garden patio is the seat; the indoor bar is the rainy-night fallback.
Sweet Liberty on 20th Street in Collins Park is the John Lermayer cocktail icon, a sprawling room of world-class drinks, creative American food and a kitchen that runs past 04:00 most nights.
Tip: Happy hour daily 16:00 to 20:00 is the easy entry. The room is big enough that walk-ins land seats outside weekend prime time.
Mama Tried on NE 1st Street is the 1970s-styled Downtown Miami cocktail room that opens until 05:00 every night, a low-lit bar of handcrafted drinks where the office crowd hands off to the late-night dancers.
Tip: Happy hour from open until 20:00. Live DJ sets land Thursdays through Saturdays; the back room hosts smaller sets midweek.
Kaona Room hides inside the Leinster Irish Pub on NE 1st Avenue, the Daniele Dalla Pola speaky-tiki of carved Polynesian wood, rare-rum cocktails and a 45-seat capacity that caps the room.
Tip: Reservations only via OpenTable; the seating slots run two hours. Tuesday to Saturday from 18:00; rare-rum flights are the move.
Spanglish on North Miami Avenue is the Wynwood speakeasy behind a golden cocktail shaker out front, an intimate room of craft cocktails, Spanish-American small plates and art from Tatiana Suarez and Tiago Magro.
Tip: No marked sign; the shaker is the door. Capacity is tight, so reserve via the website for Friday and Saturday slots.
Lost Boy Dry Goods on East Flagler hides behind a faux dry-goods storefront in the Alfred I Dupont Building, the Downtown bar that plays its 1930s general-store fit-out straight and pours classics on tap.
Tip: Happy hour weekdays 16:00 to 19:00 with half-off cocktails. Open until 02:00 most nights; the front-window seats fill first.