When one tells people one is writing a cocktail column, the most predictable response (among those of a certain age) is a reference to the theme song of the old show “Cheers.” Someone’s always gotta say, “I bet you wanna go where everybody knows your name.”
Well, no, that’s not exactly it. There is something reassuring about having “a local” where you’ve got a nodding acquaintance with folks on both sides of the bar and where you feel just a little bit at home. But in Miami more than most places, people like to change who they really are: drag-queen IT consultants, hipster electricians, nerd surfers, jiujitsu-master housewives.
This is a city for exploring alternatives.
The allure of the Biscayne bar is not that everyone knows your name, but that it is a place where everybody could know you by whatever name you want. People start again in Miami. Let the Bostonians go where everybody knows your name; for the protean Biscayne tippler, the best bars are the ones that feel like you’ve stepped into a strange, new world.
This is kind of the point of bars in general. The Bend in Hialeah (mentioned in our January 2025 column) is carefully curated to be a carefree hangout, a kind of rec room away from home; the Hotel Continental’s Divebar (mentioned in our March 2025 column) is a low-key refuge designed for travelers to unwind; and the anime-oriented bars we covered two months ago specialize in a particular kind of imaginary ambience.
But there are other worlds here to explore. Places where you could go to be someone else, just for a couple of hours, in a much more thorough way.
THOSE WHO PRESIDE
(Presidente Bar Miami)
Seba Garcia wants Presidente guests to “feel like you’re stepping into a story, not just a bar.”
Start off in Wynwood, at the first U.S. location of a Buenos Aires cocktail institution ranked among the World’s 50 Best Bars. Presidente Bar Miami creates its alternate reality as a sort of Miami-plus, a glamorous space filled with imagery from cultural icons of Latin America. You might see T-shirts (nice ones) but you might also see tuxes.
“When you cross the door at Presidente, I want you to feel like you’re stepping into a story, not just a bar,” said founder and creative director Seba Garcia. “The music, the lighting, the aromas, and every detail of the hospitality are meant to pull you away from the everyday noise. The idea is that you live through a ritual: a mix of classic elegance with a modern, rebellious pulse.”
Garcia founded the first Presidente in Argentina in 2017, but says the Miami location, which opened this summer, was designed to be something new and different.
“We didn’t come to copy what already exists,” he said. “We came to offer something different, something that makes Miami feel a little more like Presidente.”
And one of the main ways he did that is through the cocktail menu.
“Every cocktail has a narrative, a cultural gesture, and a wink at how we understand hospitality,” Garcia said. “It’s not just about mixing ingredients – it’s about telling stories through them.”
The cocktails that most represent Presidente’s spirit include Mezcalicus, a mezcal and Italicus drink that bridges Mexico and Italy; Patagonia Fix, inspired by Argentina’s nature and made from vodka, citrus, and elderflower; the iconic Negroni Presidente, made with hibiscus-infused gin, Campari, vermouth, bitters, and cherry liqueur; and The Flamingo, a refreshing tipple made with tropical fruit to be in tune with Miami’s spirit.
“Surprisingly, our signature cocktails are the most ordered,” Garcia said. “Classics like the Negroni, martini, or old fashioned are always present, but what makes us proud is that people trust Presidente to try something new and let themselves be carried away by the creative proposal.
(Bar Nancy)
A Putnam Rye Old Fashioned could please even the saltiest sailor at Bar Nancy.
“In five years, I imagine Presidente as a beacon of the local cocktail scene: part of Miami’s nightlife renaissance, but also a different kind of refuge, an island where you can always find hospitality, elegance, and surprise.”
NO ONE COULD STEER US RIGHT
For a decidedly different retro reality, head downtown, where Mama Tried embodies a certain platonic ideal of a “bar” for drinkers who remember the 1970s. It may be named for a Merle Haggard song, but the vibe is more velvet and sparkle. They’ve hosted emo nights, “Rhythm and Boots” nights blending country and hip-hop, and K-pop nights. Their seventh anniversary celebration in August featured an Elvis impersonator and fan dancers. Their former cocktail menu had drinks like the Urban Cowboy; Smokey and the Bandit; and a local favorite, the Porn Star Martini, which comes garnished with a tiny “Playboy” magazine cover.
(Mama Tried)
The Urban Cowboy helped turn Mama Tried into a kind of time machine.
( Mama Tried)
Mama Tried’s new Red Flag cocktail blends Don Julio Blanco with prosecco and strawberry-infused Aperol.
Lead bartender and managing partner Tyler Kitzman has just created a new menu, which includes new cocktails, mocktails, and upgrades like a fine-tuned Porn Star Martini made with vodka, passionfruit, and vanilla, served with a bubble shot and dehydrated pineapple.
"The part of the ‘outside world’ that stops at the door is the flashy Miami often portrayed on social media with the crazy cover charges and bottle service fees,” said Kitzman. “When you walk through the door at Mama Tried, you are transported to old school local Miami, a bar that feels like home, your neighborhood haunt to escape the hustle and bustle where you don't need to empty your pockets to have a great time and amazing cocktails."
Kitzman’s new cocktails include drinks like the tangy Red Flag, made with Prosecco, strawberry-infused Aperol, Don Julio Blanco, citrus for sourness, and a little agave for sweetness. There’s also a Something Spicier, which combines Ilegal mezcal, guajillo chili, jalapeño agave, and watermelon for a drink with a couple kinds of kicks. And a Pero Liiiike is made with dragon-berry tequila, guava, and ginger beer — plus, for an extra dollar, your bartender will snap you a Polaroid to remember it by.
"When I set out to create this new cocktail menu, I wanted to capture the vibrant spirit of Miami while pulling inspiration from music that moves me,” said Kitzman. “Other times it's as simple as starting with a cocktail name or a specific ingredient and riffing off of that.
"Each cocktail on this menu is an exploration of flavors and experiences. For example, Pero Liiiike is not just a drink; it’s an invitation to play! I mean, who wouldn’t want a Polaroid memory of their night out?"
A SHIP NAMED NANCY
( Bar Nancy)
Nautical touches give Bar Nancy a maritime vibe … even on goth nights.
In June 1776, history was made on the island of St. Thomas, when a cannon fired from the ramparts in a salute to a ship named Nancy. The ship, a two-masted square-rigger loaded with gunpowder, rum, and other supplies, had raised the American flag as its colors and the port, then a Danish colony, became the first to recognize the stars and stripes as a symbol to a new nation. The salute actually predates the official Declaration of Independence on July 4 (the process had started on June 7 but then, as now, politics took time to unfold, while gunpowder and rum was in a hurry).
In 2017, a different Nancy earned its first salute (to your health!) in Little Havana. Stepping into Bar Nancy is not exactly like stepping onto the deck of a Revolutionary-era brigantine. It’s more like entering a dress rehearsal by an enthusiastic repertory theater company. Whether they’re prepping “Pirates of Penzance” or “The Long Voyage Home” is partially up to you.
“We had formerly owned and operated The Stage in the Design District,” said Sasha Torres, one of the crew of founders. “We focused on hosting local artists and all kinds of shows – local bands, national acts, The Florida Grand Opera – as well as showcasing art from artists like Lebo. We opened Nancy with the same thing in mind on a smaller scale.”
Bar Nancy has a regular open-mic night, as well as nights hosted by local punk impresario Rat Bastard, goth nights put on by Hexed Miami, a Scotch storytelling series, and live shows that run a gamut of alternative genres.
Yet there’s still an actual sailing ship’s porthole looking out over the bar’s courtyard space. Prior menus have included Putnam rye old fashioneds, Colonial-era milk punches, and a cocktail called I Don’t Know What I Want, the description for which is: “Arrrgh…no worries matey, it has Titos in it!” And looking around, you’ll see plenty of visual reminders of life on the sea or in the port cities of Miami and Havana.
Like their namesake ship, Bar Nancy hasn’t always faced smooth sailing, tacking against covid and jibing through political battles between developers and city governance.
“Hopefully all that is behind us,” Torres said. “All we have ever been interested in is making Nancy the getaway we set out for it to be when we opened.”
They’re reinventing themselves this year with new cocktail and food program; broadcasting, movie, and filmmaking events; live podcasting events on topics like “Tamiami Tales” storytelling; and even bitcoin and crypto mini events.
“All in all, we’re making the effort to really connect with our neighborhood and many of the new residents that have recently moved in,” Torres said.
What better way to welcome them than to … welcome them aboard?
GETTING THERE
Wynwood
146 NW 28th St
Miami
305-987-1267
Downtown
207 NE 1st St
Miami
786-803-8087
Little Havana
2007 SW 8th St
Miami
Grant Balfour is a Miami Beach native, writer, editor, traveler, musician, bon vivant and our official Biscayne Tippler.
