Speakeasy Miami: The Broken Shaker

As part of our continuing series on modern speakeasies, Kim Hammond & Rebecca Lugones visit the Broken Shaker in Miami. 

Even on vacation I recognize my duty to seek out and visit speakeasies. This time I was visiting my friend Rebecca in Miami Beach and we decided to let the husbands watch the kids and off we went to find The Broken Shaker.

We had GPS, so one would think our destination would be a breeze. Not so much. We drove around the same three blocks for twenty minutes trying to find this place. We pulled over, pulled out the iPad mini and went to the website again. It said the bar was in the lobby of the Indian Creek Hotel. We found the hotel and this is what we saw.

Not a very inviting picture, right? So now we’re thinking it’s closed and we needed to find a Plan B. But wait; there was a review on Yelp posted the evening before. Okay, now it was becoming a moral imperative to find this place. We vowed once more around the block and eureka, we found it.

It’s actually tucked away in the back of a hostel called the Freehand. Who would have thought? Our friendly waitress explained it was a pop-up bar (I’d been to pop-up stores, but never knew there were pop-up bars) the year before and then became permanent. The majority of the bar was outside. Hailing from Ohio I found this unique and enjoyable. However, people could freely smoke outside so we chose to sit in the small bar area that can really only accommodate about ten people.

The bar area bathed in mismatched candlelight and dim chandeliers reflected from the dark and rich colored wood. Although the decor was circa 1930s-1940s the stereo emitted tunes from the 60’s . Everything was quaint and comfortable.

The menu had some light fare and some yummy looking drinks. We were first brought water in small mason jars containing fresh cucumber and it was surprisingly refreshing.

Drinks: 

My drink was the Hemingway Daiquiri. It contained maraschino liqueur, shaken with fresh lime, grapefruit juice and Don Q rum. Rebecca went a little more crazy with a B!$CH Don’t Kill My Vibe. It had lemongrass and Thai Basel from the garden, pineapple juice, Aperol mixed with Wodka vodka. The Broken Shaker has won a James Beard Award for their handcrafted cocktails. 

Outside was a garden area with little cozy clusters of seating. Lounge chairs, couches, even hammocks adorned the treed area and towards the back was a ping pong table and the swimming pool for the hostel. Twinkling lights were strung throughout trees which created a fairy-like ambiance.

Location and Hours:

The Broken Shaker is open daily from 6pm - 2am, but opening early on weekends at 2pm. The address is 2727 Indian Creek Drive, Miami Beach, Florida. You can reach them at 305-531-2727. No password is required. 

What are Speakeasies?

Speakeasies were secret bars that sprang up when alcohol was outlawed in the United States in 1919.

Most speakeasies were housed in unmarked locations, many required a password to get in and some may have moved from place to place to stay ahead of the law. Many think the name came from patrons being told to "speakeasy" or to lower their voices so no one suspected they were serving alcohol. Today, there are many modern speakeasy bars that retain some of these traditions. They usually feature fresh ingredients in their food and drink, in discreet locations that lack signage. Some model the decor after the periods and some require passwords. 

You can read about Mystery Playground's other speakeasy adventures here.