Broken Shaker

Broken Shaker is the cocktail bar of Freehand Miami, the design-led hostel and hotel on Indian Creek Drive, and it has built a reputation well beyond the hotel's own guests. It was named Best American Hotel Bar at the Tales of the Cocktail awards, and it is set in the hotel's backyard, on a brick-lined patio that is popular with locals and visitors alike.

The setting is the main draw. Rather than a dark indoor lounge, Broken Shaker is an outdoor bar where you can sit in the open air with a cocktail. The drinks list changes over time, so ask the bartenders what is new; as a general rule at award-winning bars like this, the house cocktails are the best way to see what the team does, while classics are a safe choice if you know what you like.

Opening hours are not published on the hotel's main page, so check with the hotel before you go. As an outdoor bar, it is best on dry evenings, and it is busiest from around sunset onwards and at weekends. Arriving early in the evening gives you the best chance of a comfortable seat in the garden, and it is also a good time for a quieter drink before dinner elsewhere.

Broken Shaker suits couples, groups of friends and solo travellers who want a relaxed cocktail in a sociable setting. Because it is part of a hostel and hotel, the crowd is mixed, which makes it an easy place to strike up a conversation. If you want something more casual later on, Ray's, the hotel's other bar, has a disco ball and a pool table and serves bar food from Friday to Sunday.

If rain is forecast, have a back-up plan, as an open-air bar depends on the weather. Hotel guests can also take advantage of the pool during the day and come down to the bar in the evening.

The bar is at 2727 Indian Creek Drive in Miami Beach. The Bass Museum of Art at 2100 Collins Avenue is within walking distance, and Lincoln Road and South Beach are a short taxi ride south. Freehand offers its own guests a complimentary Tesla service for local rides within a two-mile radius, which is handy if you are staying.