Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
One indigenous local delicacy is heart of palm, or 'swamp cabbage,' which has a delic-
ate, sweet crunch. The heart of the sabal palm, Florida's state tree, it was a mainstay for
Florida pioneers. Try it if you can find it served fresh (don't bother if it's canned; it's not
from Florida).
Coinciding with modern refrigeration, frozen concentrated orange juice was invented in
Florida in 1946: this popularized orange juice as a year-round drink and created a genera-
tion of 'orange millionaires'.
Libations
Be it a lime stuffed into a Corona on a dock in the Keys, or rum served in countless per-
mutations, South Florida really likes a drink. Or 10. There's a phrase you'll hear in the
Keys that describes the islands as 'Drinking towns with a fishing problem', which more or
less nails it.
Miami loves its booze too, but as with food, the focus is often on whatever happens to
be the trendy drink of the moment (this rule, admittedly, does not apply to Miami's many
excellent dives and neighborhood joints). And as with food, this trend-consciousness has
its good and bad sides. During our research, unique cocktails created by professional 'mix-
ologists' were all the drinking rage. You could find some incredible concoctions out there
too - Blue Collar and Bonding, we're looking in your direction. But we also had far too
many poorly mixed drinks that cost a rich man's price tag served in the umpteenth vari-
ation of a 'hip' Miami Beach bar.
Funnily enough, Miami's obsession with mixology represents a bit of a cocktail renais-
sance down here. Cuban bartenders became celebrities in the 1920s for what they did with
all that sugarcane and citrus: the two classics are the
Cuba libre
(rum, lime and cola) and
the mojito, traditionally served with
chicharrónes
(deep-fried pork rinds).
The beer market in Miami has definitely improved over the past few years. A demand
for quality brew means you can find a gallery of international beers at some bars; on the
other hand, you can go from being very international to totally local and trying a brew pub.
Miami is known for its celebrity nightlife scene, but one of the first famous drinkers here
was down in Key West. Old Ernest Hemingway, it was said, favored piña coladas, lots of
them. In the same neighborhood, Jimmy Buffett memorialized the margarita - so that now
