Miami is a weird city for drinking. Because most bars here are incredibly expensive, shitty tourist traps, or trendy as hell, it can be hard to know where to go.
Ball and Chain
This Calle Ocho jazz bar was built in Little Havana in the 30s, and it is another historic Miami spot that still manages to be fun. It hit hard times a few years back, and it reopened in 2014 with a quirky-ass drink menu. You'll find drinks mixed with tobacco (not as bad as it sounds), Cuban fruits (as good as it sounds), and pastelitos (probably the most Miami you can do). There is an outdoor bandshell shaped like a pineapple made for live music and blowing minds. And there's a gigantic mural of Celia Cruz. It gets a little intensely clubby at night on the weekends, and some might say it's played out and touristy, but you should definitely make the visit. It has a paella party on Sundays, where you listen to music and eat paella. Live jazz most nights. Probably hosts the best neon sign in Miami.
See the complete VICE Guide to Miami.
[Cover photo via Christina Arza]
