A Cocktail History from Old Havana
Story & Photos by: Senior Staff Writer Les Noteworthy
The Historic Floridita in Old Havana, Cuba
Long before the famous 6-toed cats took up residence in Ernest Hemmingway’s original house, now turned museum in Key West, Hemingway was a fixture in another city of the tropics; 90 miles further south, in Old Havana, Cuba. Legend reveals that Hemingway began his celebrated writing career as a journalist, travelling Europe and other interesting destinations, always returning to winter in Key West. At one point, after divorcing one of his many wives, he climbed into his yacht and headed south, winding up in Havana.
From 1932-1939 he lived at the Hotel Ambos Mundos (Both Worlds) in Old Havana, where he preferred renting a certain 5th floor room for $1.50 per night, as it provided him an excellent view of the Harbor and lovely cool breezes. This very spot is where he began writing the first few chapters of what would become the very famous “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, a novel based upon the Spanish Civil War, which he covered earlier as a journalist. With the royalties from this novel, he purchased a home on the outskirts of the city, where he wrote “Old Man and the Sea.” He was also known to saunter the narrow streets of Old Havana in search of the perfect cocktail. As legend has it, his favorites are now 2 of Cuba’s cocktail gifts to the world, the ever popular bartender’s nightmare, the Mojito, and the timeless Daiquiri.
The Daiquiri was historically a creation of Constante Vert, owner of and bartender at the original La Floridita, an upscale fish restaurant and bar, located at the corner of Calle Obispo and Monseratte, in Old Havana. Using a simple combination of crushed ice, lime juice and sugar, and a few spins in a relatively new invention at the time now known worldwide as the electric blender, this simple cocktail became a frappé, or what we now call a frozen drink. Hemy was somewhat of a stickler about his Daiquiri, finding the new concoctions either too sweet or too sour at most locations. At some point he wandered into La Floridita, where the bartender offered his version of the new classic, invented at that
This is where all the shaking goes down!
very bar. Apparently, the original recipe included a secret ingredient the others did not, which was a splash of Maraschino Liqueur and a hint of grapefruit juice. The difference was night and day. This Liqueur and grapefruit added not only a level of sweetness, but brought all the other ingredients into balance. Of course Hemy was suitably impressed, calling it “his daiquiri” and christening it the Floridita Daiquiri. Ernest began promoting the special concoction to all of his cronies in earnest, giving birth to a liquid legend.
La Floridita still stands at the corner of Obispo and Monseratte, although today it is mostly visited by occasional tourists, intent on sampling the famous creation for themselves. The original daiquiri is today intermingled with strawberry, mango and other variations on the theme, but is still the best anywhere. I watched as the cantinero gracefully splashed copious amounts of lime juice, rum, shaved ice and a “secret ingredient” into the seemingly never-emptying blenders along the inside of the long wooden bar. The décor was antique, certainly reminiscent of those days when Hemingway and his crew would commandeer the entire bar, telling war stories and sipping the legendary cocktails long into the night.
While a talented musical group played acoustic versions of many Cuban classics, the pale green “frappé” was poured into a martini glass and quickly placed before me to enjoy. Our cantinero continued creating more and more daiquiris without a break. A quick glance down the bar showed nothing but stemmed martini glasses, indicating the reproduction of Constante’s original recipe is clearly more popular now than ever before. And yes, it is delicious. Frosty cold, with bright lime flavors; sweet, tart and yet perfectly balanced, a great cocktail, in a great location!
While La Floridita credits itself as the Cradle of the Daiquiri, Cuba is also unquestionably the birthplace of the Mojito. Of course some establishments do it better than others. Hemingway discovered a tiny bar that produced what many locals called the best Mojito in Havana at the time, if not all of Cuba. Today it is perhaps the world’s most famous Mojito bar, and by many standards the birthplace of the Mojito Cocktail. La Bodeguita del Medio occupies a fairly non-descript spot in the middle of the block on Calle Empedrado, a narrow corridor connecting the waterfront and the plazas of Old Havana. Squeezing into the popular bar definitely takes some skill and persistence, as one cannot help but marvel at its smallness.
The Birth of the Daquiri Happened Here!
The restaurant dining rooms are accessed via a small corridor, but all of the cocktail action is in the front of the house. The Mojito is the drink of the house. Every minute, multiple rows of slender Collins glasses are rapidly filled with 2 scoops of sugar, a few ounces of fresh lime juice, and 2 sprigs of mint (stems and all) which are folded and stuffed into each glass. Muddler in hand, the bar tender moves from glass to glass, gently pressing the mint into the sugary lime juice mixture, dissolving the sugar and releasing the oils from the mint leaves. Havana Club white rum is added, then it’s all topped with a liberal amount of sparkling bottled water. Four ice cubes, and ONLY four ice cubes are added, then each drink is stirred with a long handled bar spoon, thoroughly mixing and raising the mint from the bottom of the glass. Finally the liquored legend is served to an eager customer.
I personally watched the barman make 12 of these cocktails in about two minutes. I would venture to say that it wasn’t his first day on the job. All while smiling and conversing in both Spanish and English to the patrons standing and seated at his tiny bar, effortlessly taking payment and making change. He was good! In came the next order for 8 Mojitos, followed by another 12, and the game started again. It was a sight to behold. Clearly, his secret to success is a copious supply of freshly squeezed lime juice, a huge container of sugar, and what appeared to be an endless supply of mint sprigs. As far as the actual drink was concerned, it was nice, light and everything that a good Mojito should be. It is not intended to be an exceptionally strong drink, rather more of an afternoon refresher.
The Mojito! Refreshing but can deliver a wicked hangover the next day!
To further promote his favorites cocktails to the world at large, Hemingway wrote, “My Mojito in La Bodeguita, My daiquiri in La Floridita!” This handwritten note stating exactly this is signed by Ernest, and still hangs on the wall at La Bodeguita, adding fuel to the promotional fire that has secured both of these establishments their place in cocktail history. If you are ever in Havana, make time to visit these superb little establishments, each having earned a place in Cuban history, as well as introducing two of the most popular cocktails to the rest of the world. I believe that if they were good enough for Hemingway, they are definitely worth the time and a few pesos to give them both a try next time you are in Havana, Cuba.
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