This edition of MIAbites Weekly Nibble is all about cocktails and fun new happy hour experiences. For those who love whiskey or want to learn more — Saturday’s 5th annual Miami Whiskey Mash is right up your alley. Want to embrace your Cuban heritage? Head to Broken Shaker and order a secret Havana Club Rum cocktail. As always, there’s plenty of fun to be had in Miami and here are a few things we think should be on your radar over the next week.

Miami Whiskey Mash

The Miami Whisk(e)y Mash, a celebration of fine whiskies from around the world, returns for a 5th year on Saturday, March 2nd at the Taurus: Beer & Whisk(e)y House. Showcasing 100+ different expressions of whiskies ranging from – Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Japan, Taiwan and the U.S., this is the largest whiskey event in Miami. Attendees will be able to enjoy unlimited tastings plus delicious light bites by Chef Michael Beltran of Ariete, cigars by Drew Estate, live music, and much more.

Whiskey Mash General Admission tickets will be available for $75 Online and $95 at-the-door and includes admission from 3-6pm. A very limited number of VIP tickets are also available for $100 online. Grab your tickets here.

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Pineapples & Pizza at Matador Bar

This month's Pineapples & Pizza on Thursday, February 28 at 9PM will feature a Clam & Fresh Mozzarella Pizza that can be paired with an Absolut Elyx Pineapple Cocktail or The Miami Beach EDITION's signature Iguanita Beer.

The cocktail and pizza combo will be available for $35, while the beer and pizza will cost $25. Share a pizza and cocktail with friends while enjoying live music by Latin Power Band.

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Secret Cocktails at Broken Shaker

 In celebration of their proud heritage, HAVANA CLUB Rum has partnered with the Broken Shaker in both Miami and New York, to offer a secret, exiled menu featuring a limited-edition HAVANA CLUB cocktail, only accessible through the code phrase – “La Yuma.”

For many Cubans, especially those on the island, “La Yuma” is slang for the United States. It became widely used in the 1980s for Cubans seeking asylum. Today, it’s a term of endearment for those longing to come to the States.

This March, consumers who stop by Broken Shaker and say the code phrase, “La Yuma” to the bartender, will gain access to a special off-the-menu cocktail made exclusively with HAVANA CLUB rum, before the cocktail becomes a permanent fixture on Broken Shakers menu.

The real HAVANA CLUB rum was created by the exiled Cuban family, the Arechabalas, in 1878 and become a registered trademark in 1934. When Castro and the Cuban Regime came into power and unrightfully seized the family’s rum distillery on January 1, 1960, the family was forced into exile and robbed of their home and livelihood.

Despite their abrupt exile, the Arechabala family was able to take one important item with them out of Cuba: a transcription of their original rum recipe to carry on their heritage and identity.  Today, the real HAVANA CLUB identifies with all exiles who fled for the United States – “La Yuma

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Ocho on Ocho Happy Hour at Habitat

Starting on Friday, March 8th, Habitat at the eco-chic 1 Hotel South Beach is launching their 'Ocho on Ocho' monthly happy hour. This is the first event of a series of happy hours that will occur on the 8th of every month. Guests will be able to sit back, relax and sip on $8 cocktails made with Bacardi 8 Rum like the Bacardi 8 Negroni made with coffee-infused Bacardi 8, Campari and Yzaguirre Orange Essence.

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Celebrate 305 Day at Veza Sur

At Veza Sur, Wynwood’s #HechaEnMiami brewery, the pachanga never stops and what better way to celebrate the 305 than with cervezas? In celebration of the Miami holiday on Tuesday, March 5, Veza Sur will offer all of their beers on tap at $3.05 all day (barrel-aged beers not included). Known for their flavorful, sessionable beers, Veza Sur’s beers are made perfect to accompany Miami’s hot summers and mild winters, while staying true to cerveza artesanal. Veza Sur’s newest beers on tap include the TORONJIPA (a grapefruit IPA), and Stay Peachy Miami (a peach hefeweizen).

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South Beach Seafood Festival is up for USA Today 10Best contest

South Beach does is again! Our homegrown, and nationally-recognized, South Beach Seafood Festival is up for Best Specialty Food Festival in the country in a prestigious USA Today 10Best contest.

VOTE HERE!  

South Beach Seafood Festival, Miami’s annual, five-day celebration of seafood, sun and fun happening in October, features a high end week long experience showcasing the best of South Florida’s culinary talent through different interactive events, was nominated as one of the best specialty food festivals in the country in USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. 

So Miami, are you ready to show the country what we're made of? Let's take that #1 spot! Voting is open through Mon., March 11. You can submit a new vote every day and the top 10 list will be announced on March 22.

The South Beach Seafood Festival kicks off Florida’s stone crab season each October with five days of dinners, cook-offs and beachside tastings presented by William Hill, Jack Daniels, GOYA, and Coca Cola. Proceeds from the festival benefit the EAT SMART program that provides healthy meals and nutritional guidance to Florida youth.