Havana Guide
El Floridita: di place wey dem born daiquirí and Hemingway im bar
Na ten-minute waka from Refugio 204, for di corner of Obispo and Monserrate, one pink-face bar dey stand wey don dey pour drink pass two hundred years. Dem dey call am El Floridita, dem crown am «di place wey dem born daiquirí», and na Ernest Hemingway im best corner be dis. Na im story be dis, wey we yarn well well.
Two hundred years of history: from «La Piña de Plata» go «El Floridita»
Di place open im door for 1817 wit di name La Piña de Plata (Di Silver Pineapple), right for di belle of old wall Havana. As years dey pass e come turn La Florida and, becos of di love wey habaneros get for am, di nickname come stick for good: El Floridita. Na small bar for di whole world fit talk say dem don serve people without break pass two hundred years.
Constante, di Catalan man wey make di daiquirí perfect
Im jump enter legend come becos of Constantino Ribalaigua Vert, «Constante», one Catalan bartender wey start to dey work for di bar for early 20th century and later come own di place. Constante na perfect-am-or-leave-am kind person: e dey squeeze di lime wit hand, strain di juice, measure every gram of sugar. Na im dem dey praise say e carry di daiquirí reach im most famous form, di frozen daiquirí, wey dem mix wit shave ice till e turn snow.
Di daiquirí: from one mine near Santiago go inside di glass
Na no be here dem born di drink but for east Cuba. Im name come from Daiquirí, one beach and mining area near Santiago de Cuba, where for late 1890s one American engineer, Jennings Cox, mix rum, lime and sugar to cool im guests body. But na for El Floridita dem polish di daiquirí well well and e come go worldwide. Constante create different different wey dem number —from Daiquirí No. 1 reach No. 4— dey play wit maraschino, grapefruit and di way dem dey mix am.
Hemingway and di «Papa Doble»
Ernest Hemingway live for Cuba near twenty years and make El Floridita im second home. E order daiquirí wey dem build im own way: double measure of rum, no sugar, wit grapefruit juice and small maraschino. Di menu still dey remember am as di «Papa Doble» or «Hemingway Special». Dem also dey credit am wit di famous line «My mojito for La Bodeguita, my daiquirí for El Floridita» —even though historians dey argue whether na true e talk am, di legend don become part of di bar now.
El Floridita for today
Di bar still dey alive, wit im mahogany counter, bartenders wey wear red jacket and live music. For di end of di bar, where di writer dey sit before, since 2003 one bronze statue of Hemingway wey big like real person don dey stand, wey sculptor José Villa Soberón make —today na di photo wey every visitor must take. E be touristy, yes, but to enter, order frozen daiquirí and raise glass for beside «Papa» na one of dose rituals wey sum up Havana.
Where you go fit stay near El Floridita?
From Refugio 204 na just ten-minute waka: waka go down towards Parque Central and, wen you reach am, El Floridita dey right for di start of Calle Obispo, for di corner wit Monserrate. For di road you go pass di Capitol and di Grand Theatre. We dey advise make you go for late afternoon, before di evening crowd come.
Refugio 204 na casa particular for di belle of Old Havana, ten-minute waka from El Floridita and two minute from di Malecón. Four independent apartments, wey good well well for families and groups.