THE JOURNAL
In the third instalment of our Santos de Cartier sunglasses series, we explore the city’s nightlife hotspots .
Traditional wisdom has it that New York is the city that doesn’t sleep. And indeed, that roiling mix of a city was the party capital of the US for the greater part of the 20th century. It was a scene for all comers, a metropolis to lose yourself in. But today, New York is a grand dame, too expensive and too staid for the parties of its youth. The nightlife muse has packed up and shipped out. Today, it resides down south: on the final flourish of land on the Florida peninsula. If you are looking for the best bars and the finest nightclubs these days, there is only one place to visit: Miami.
More than 15 million people make their way down to this city by the sea every year and a good portion of them are drawn here for a nightlife that burns bright and long. The weather, beaches and five-star hotels, plus the many bars and nightclubs contrive to produce an atmosphere of frivolity – a certain lightness of spirit, which itself is the best building block for a party. To help you navigate this city’s nightlife, MR PORTER and Cartier have teamed up to produce the ultimate guide to Miami after dark.
THE RALEIGH MARTINI BAR
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The Raleigh Miami Beach hotel is a totem of the Miami scene. An Art Deco jewel built in 1940, it has drawn battalions of discerning guests ever since. Part of its attraction is its design. Architect Mr Lawrence Murray Dixon eschewed the gaudier excesses of Miami Deco and instead created an elegant and understated pleasure palace – and nowhere is this more evident than in the cosy Martini Bar located just off the lobby.
For the past 70 years, it has drawn locals and visitors in equal measure – it is, in many ways, a sanctuary, a place to escape the thrum of South Beach. Aside from its intimacy (there is only a handful of tables), its attraction lies primarily in its menu. Along with a 10-strong beer menu, it offers an extensive cocktail list of mescal and vodka, but the real event is the martinis. It has one of the largest ranges of vermouths in the city and its bartenders will mix you a martini that Don Draper would be proud of. Head there for a pre-dinner drink – you won’t be disappointed.
EL TUCÁN
The El Tucán supper club, which opened in the Brickell neighbourhood early last year, is a throwback to a bygone era – a time of sharp-suited glamour, when dinner came with a show, and waiters were as smart as the clientele. Certainly, it is decorated with the brio and confidence of 1960s Miami. The pink-hued, scalloped-edged banquettes, the bronze lights cast as pineapples and the 11-piece Latin band, led by Grammy award-winning Mr Marlow Rosado, all combine to create a crackling atmosphere. Think: raising your eyes from your cocktail and finding Mr Sammy Davis Junior knocking back old fashioneds next to you.
The lighting is dim and the menu won’t disappoint. The New Zealand-born, French-trained chef, Mr Jean Paul Lourdes, offers a prix-fixe menu that changes weekly, but draws on the culture of the local neighborhood, blending Cuban, Mexican and Peruvian cuisine (the Asian-style suckling porquetta is particularly good). The main event, though, is not what is on the plate, but what is in your glass: the cocktail menu is Latin in flavour and not lacking in punch. Head there after a day on the beach in your Pilot Santos de Cartier sunglasses and soak up the atmosphere.
The Regent Cocktail Club
Spend an evening at The Regent Cocktail Club and you’ll soon grasp why it has been one of the top 10 hotel bars in the world at Tales of the Cocktail awards. Everything, from the drink in the glass to the leather on the seats and even the uniforms on the staff, is expertly chosen to evoke the glamour and chic of the roaring 1920s. It is pleasingly atmospheric.
The menu largely pays homage to the classics (though the bar staff are open to requests). Drinks such as the old fashioned or the Papa Doble, a rum-based confection, are given a subtle makeover and served with hand-cut ice and fresh local ingredients by the internationally rated mixologists. As well as the main lounge bar – which has live entertainment – there is an outdoor terrace which is the perfect place to kick back and enjoy a post-drink cigar.