The 2008 Spirit Awards nominees were just announced, by the wonderfully named organization Tales of the Cocktail. And in three categories - Best Classic Cocktail Bar, World's Best Cocktail Bar, and Best New Cocktail Bar - not a single Miami watering hole made the list.

This is a little surprising, considering that Art Deco and cocktails share the same era. I have always loved the little hideaway bar at the Raleigh Hotel, though every time I stop in it's lacking what every good bar needs: people. They're usually out by the pool, under the stars. Which is part of Miami's problem: it's hard to have a great bar in a subtropical climate.

Still, there are a number around the state that I love. The one at the Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg (shown here), which sits like a mirage in the middle of the dining room. The dark, Swedish-themed bar at Chalet Suzanne. The cozy, fisherman's bar in the Cabbage Key Inn. The elegant, bunker-like bar at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, which has always struck me as the perfect place to sit out a hurricane.

I'd love to hear of your favorites, wherever they are.

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