Ball & Chain

Miami, Florida

Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, and Chet Baker played the original Ball & Chain in the 1930s, and the 2014 reopening on Calle Ocho channels that legacy through nightly live salsa, jazz, and mambo. The mojito won Miami New Times' Readers' Choice award, and the program balances Cuban cocktail tradition with a vibrant atmosphere that spills onto Eighth Street. Ball & Chain carries a weight of cultural history that no new opening can fabricate. The music starts at noon, and the room does not empty until long after midnight. Miami's bar culture benefits from a city that lives outdoors, stays up late, and treats every neighborhood as a distinct flavor. Little Havana's cantinero tradition, South Beach's global polish, Brickell's late-night energy, Little River's creative edge, the Magic City earns its name after dark. The drink is waiting.