Before Miami was home to fancy cocktail bars with $20 drinks and wine bars that sell charcuterie for the price of a filet mignon, it was a city where you could walk into a bar, order a vodka soda, and end up singing along to Journey with a room full of strangers. As someone born and raised in the 305, I have fond, yet blurry (sorry, mom), memories of going out in Coconut Grove, Wynwood, downtown Miami, and Brickell between 2008 and 2015. Spots like Mr. Moe’s in Coconut Grove, with its log-cabin décor and potent “Moose Juice” cocktails, and the sweaty, dance-fueled nights at Electric Pickle in Wynwood, offered a kind of raw, unfiltered fun that feels rare now. We didn’t go out to take pictures — although many of us lugged around our digital cameras to publish photos in a Facebook album the following day — we went out to truly have a wild night with our friends.
Sure, Miami still has some incredible bars today. Taurus and Barracuda still keep the Grove spirit alive, and Café La Trova and Ball & Chain in Little Havana give you a rhythm-and-rum kind of night you’ll never forget. Brickell’s got its staples, too, like Baby Jane and Better Days, while Bougainvillea’s Old Florida Tavern, often called “Bougie’s,” always delivers a good time. However, there was something special about places like Tobacco Road, Miami’s oldest bar, where lawyers, musicians, and bikers all somehow coexisted over burgers and blues. It wasn’t about exclusivity. It was about connection, and a damn good time…