A Preview of Florida Cocktails, a Book That Pours the Sunshine State’s Wild, Weird, and Wonderful Spirit Into Every Glass

Cocktails aren’t just drinks, but stories told with rum and resin, fruit and fire, legacy and local swagger. This book journeys through that cocktail culture, a travelogue through bars, beaches, distilleries, and personalities that have shaped and reshaped how Florida drinks, and why that matters.

I started in Key West, where the ghosts of Captain Tony, Hemingway, and Jimmy Buffett still haunt the barstools. Then I traced the coast up through the Gulf, where beach bars bleed into tiki joints and marina dives, where the smell of sunscreen lingers and happy hour starts when the sun comes up because you can’t drink all day if you don’t start early.

I sipped my first punch bowl in St. Pete.

Once the celebratory centerpiece of colonial drinking, punch was nearly lost to time. It’s said that 76 bowls of punch were consumed at the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But industrial efficiency and Victorian restraint nearly wiped it off bar menus. Now it’s back, reclaiming its communal roots in places like Cane & Barrel in St. Pete. “It’s not just a drink, it’s an experience,” said manager Joel Valencia. Their version tells the story of Florida’s layered Latin heritage, blending tropical fruits and spices found in Puerto Rican, Mexican, Cuban, and Dominican kitchens. “It’s something to share, like you do around a family table,” Valencia added.

And sharing is what Florida’s cocktail scene does best.

Boat drinks existed long before Jimmy Buffett wrote them into legend. But his influence is inescapable—from the frozen rum runners slung at floating parties in Destin to the lyrics scrawled on the walls at Flora-Bama, the state-straddling roadhouse on Perdido Key where I drank a doozy of a Bushwacker. Launched by the Tampary family in 1964, Flora-Bama became an institution through its grit, live music, and the strange loophole that allowed the Florida side to serve booze while Alabama’s remained dry.

This state’s drinking culture thrived in loopholes. Take Captain Bill McCoy, the real-life smuggler whose pure, uncut rum shipments from Bimini to South Florida during Prohibition earned him the nickname “The Real McCoy.” His vessels waited just beyond the invisible boundary of U.S. jurisdiction in an area known as Rum Row. I found that blend of history and hedonism everywhere in Florida. In Tallahassee, the elegant Bar 1903 occupies what was once one of the state’s first libraries. It’s part cocktail lounge, part living archive. Their “Athenaeum” traces 150 years of drinking history, reminding guests that the craft of the cocktail didn’t start on Instagram—it started in punch bowls and apothecaries. Meanwhile, in St. Augustine, the Ice Plant distills local spirits in a repurposed factory where Florida’s history lingers in the baseboards—and the bourbon.

While beach bars may be the state’s beating heart, Florida’s cocktail renaissance didn’t skip the city. In Miami, Julio Cabrera and his cantinero-style bartenders brought Cuban elegance and hospitality to center stage, while I sipped Flamingo Mojitos. At Sweet Liberty, bartender Naren Young revived the long-forgotten Florida Cocktail, a tribute to native ingredients and the idea that Florida flavors deserve a seat at the craft cocktail table.

Of course, not all innovation comes in a coupe glass.

Karen and Greg Darby’s Cruisin’ Tikis—a floating tiki bar concept born from their backyard in Fort Lauderdale—turned the notion of a mobile bar into a Florida sensation. Inspired by that same ethos, the team at Boat Drinks in St. Augustine built a bar around nostalgia. “Nobody was doing quality frozen or tropical drinks anymore,” co-founder Rob Crabtree said. “All these historic Florida beach bars, dive bars, and marina bars were disappearing as development ramped up. I missed being on my dad’s houseboat and hanging out in marina bars with him. I love that happy hour vibe, the camaraderie that erupts at 4 or 5 o’clock when everyone decides it’s time for drinks.”

Their Scuttlebutt Swizzle is a dangerously delicious cocktail.

For some, the drink is an escape. For others, it’s storytelling.

At Daytrader Tiki in Seaside, Nikhil Abuvala reimagines tiki without cultural appropriation. His drinks come in vintage glassware or blood bags (an idea born at a Halloween party) and use fresh, balanced ingredients. It’s a modern take on tiki, with integrity at its core. His Korean fried chicken and a batch of The Remedy (his take on the Mai Tai) are what inspired this new wave of creative cocktails.

Even Florida’s packaging is evolving. Half Shell Vodka debuted the country’s first cardboard spirit bottle, made from 97% recycled materials and producing a carbon footprint six times smaller than glass. “We camp, hunt, and think about conservation. We’ve been taught since we were little that you pack out what you pack in, you don’t overuse your resources,” co-owner Harrison Holditch said. “We carried that with us as we set up the distillery and moved to this type of bottle.”

For Justin Levaughn, an outdoorsman and environmentalist, Florida’s lesser-known ecosystems provide an ingredient list at Otto’s High Dive in Orlando. “I love incorporating native flora, fauna, and produce into drinks,” he said. “If I’m not surfing, I’m hiking, kayaking, exploring.”

“Florida inspires what I pour.”

Ultimately, what defines Florida’s cocktail culture isn’t the spirits or the bars—it’s the sense of place. It’s about where you are when the drink hits your hand. It’s the Daiquiri Classico Hemingway drank in Cuba, and Julio Cabrera carried to Miami. It’s the tiki drinks at the Mai-Kai, where bartender Kern Mattei Jr. still honors tradition with a twist of lemongrass or mezcal. It’s the secret speakeasy in Tampa. The neon-lit lounge in Fort Lauderdale. The backyard-turned-bar on the Intracoastal.

It’s the feeling you get when you’re barefoot at the bar, salty from the ocean, talking to a stranger who might be a shrimp boat captain or a Fortune 500 CEO. “You’re just at the bar,” said Andy McCoski, Chiringo owner. “Good music, the slight smell of sunscreen. My childhood in South Florida was Coppertone-infused. The only thing I miss is the smell of boat gas. It reminds me of being a kid.”

So sip slowly. Wander freely. There’s a story in every glass. Whether you’re floating on a tiki boat, standing on Rum Row, or seated at a quiet bar inside an old library, Florida has always known how to blur the line between reality and escape.

And it always tastes better with a lime wedge and a splash of sunshine.

Check out Florida Cocktails, a guide to the stories, spirits, techniques, and more than 100 recipes that define the Sunshine State’s signature sips, complete with a playlist curated by 30A’s own Mike Ragsdale.

Raise a Glass to the Sunshine State: 4 Iconic Florida Cocktails You Can Make at Home

From tiki to tangy, these recipes serve up a taste of Florida’s legendary cocktail culture—one swizzle, splash, and salted rim at a time. Whether you’re beachside or just dreaming of it, each sip tells a story of sun, salt, and spirited creativity.

1. Floridian Slip

OTTO’S HIGH DIVE
2304 EAST ROBINSON STREET, ORLANDO

For those looking for a delicious take on a Margarita, Otto’s High Dive co-owner Justin Levaughn serves you the Floridian Slip. “Some of the best produce we are known for in Florida is dehydrated to preserve its lifespan. I pull from that cache as needed to make the Florida Tea Syrup. The tea on its own is great as well,” he says.

GLASSWARE: Rocks glass

GARNISH: Fresh mint sprig, Tajín-dusted orange slice

• 2 oz. Blanco tequila
• 1/2 oz. Kalani Coconut Liqueur
• 3/4 oz. Florida Tea Syrup (see recipe)
• 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker tin with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass over pebble ice.
2. Garnish with a mint sprig and Tajin-dusted orange slice.

Florida Tea Syrup: Combine equal parts dried hibiscus flowers, rose hips, orange blossoms, dehydrated apples, dehydrated pineapples, and toasted coconut to make 1 cup dried tea mix. In a saucepan boil 4 cups water, then steep the tea in the boiling water for 3 minutes. Turn the heat to low. Add 2 quarts unrefined sugar and simmer, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool. Strain and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

2. Rum Runner

TIKI BAR AT THREE WATERS RESORT & MARINA
84001 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, ISLAMORADA

Opened in 1969, the original Holiday Isle Tiki Bar transported guests to a tropical paradise with its bamboo furniture, Polynesian masks, dim lighting, beach views, and tiki cocktails. John Ebert concocted the Rum Runner, their signature drink, as an homage to Florida’s notorious rumrunners such as “Captain” Bill McCoy. Over the years, the Tiki Bar has evolved and changed flags but still embraces its nostalgic charm and signature drinks. “This classic cocktail captures the essence of our Tiki Bar with its balanced mix of rum, banana and blackberry liqueurs, and tropical juices. It’s visually stunning and incredibly refreshing,” says resort manager Hicham El Ibrik.

GLASSWARE: Rum Runner glass

GARNISH: Cherry, orange slice

• 2 oz. orange juice
• 1 oz. Don Q 151°
• 1 oz. fresh lime juice
• 3/4 oz. Giffard Banane du Brésil
• 1/2 oz. grenadine
• 1/2 oz. Giffard Crème de Mûre

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake.
2. Strain the cocktail into a Rum Runner glass filled with ice.
3. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.

3. Scuttlebutt Swizzle

BOAT DRINKS
56 ST GEORGE STREET, ST. AUGUSTINE

Co-owner Rob Crabtree advises that this take on a Jasper’s Rum Punch recipe demands a rum that can stand up to bold flavors, so be sure to use an overproof Jamaican rum. Crabtree made a batch of the punch as Hurricane Michael blew into town in 2018, right before they opened the bar. “I knew it would keep my lime juice fresh and I had plenty of rum and ice so I made a couple quarts of it. We sipped it, adding a little soda water to dilute it slightly, and that version became the basis of the Scuttlebutt Swizzle,” he says. They serve it filled with ice because the drink keeps evolving as it dilutes. “This is not for the faint of heart. She is beautiful. She’s so delicious, and she’s been on our menu since day one,” co-owner Whitney Hobbs says.

GLASSWARE: Tall tropical glass

GARNISH: Freshly grated nutmeg, mint sprig

• 1 1/2 oz. Hampden Estate Rum Fire
• 1 1/2 oz. Scuttlebutt Mix (see recipe)
• Soda water, to top

1. Combine the rum and Scuttlebutt Mix in a cocktail shaker with a little ice and whip-shake.
2. Pour the cocktail into a tall tropical glass. Top with ice and soda water and swizzle to combine.
3. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and a mint sprig.

Scuttlebutt Mix: Blend 2 oz. fresh lime juice and 2 oz. sugar in a blender until combined. Stir in 1 fat teaspoon Angostura bitters. Add in dried hibiscus flowers, to taste, and let the mixture steep for 2 to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Strain the mix and store it in the refrigerator.

4. Toasted Pina Colada

LE TUB
1100 NORTH OCEAN DRIVE, HOLLYWOOD

The toasted coconut flakes add a hint of warmth to this take on the Pina Colada while the Amarena cherry, unlike its sweeter cousin, the maraschino cherry, imparts a bit of sour flavor, balancing the sweetness of the other ingredients.

GLASSWARE: 12 oz. plastic cup

GARNISH: Toasted coconut flakes, Amarena cherry

• 2 oz. Caribbean rum
• 2 oz. Coco López Cream of Coconut
• 2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/4 oz. fresh lime juice

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender with a large scoop of ice and blend until smooth.
2. Pour the cocktail into a cup and garnish with toasted coconut flakes and an Amarena black cherry.

Ready to sip your way through the Sunshine State? Grab your copy of Florida Cocktails on Amazon and start mixing!