23°08′14″N82°21′26″W / 23.137317°N 82.357324°W /23.137317; -82.357324
| El Floridita | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Former names | La Piña de Plata |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial |
| Architectural style | Neo classical |
| Location | Obispo and Monserrate streets |
| Address | 557 Obispo |
| Town or city |  Ciudad de La Habana |
| Country |  Cuba |
| Inaugurated | 1817 |
| Owner | Constantino Ribalaigua Vert |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 6m |
| Tip | 9m |
| Antenna spire | 10m |
| Roof | 8m |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Wood |
| Material | Masonry |
| Floor count | Two |
| Known for | daiquiri |
Floridita (Spanish pronunciation:[floɾiˈðita]) orEl Floridita is a historic fish restaurant and cocktail bar in the older part ofHavana (La Habana Vieja),Cuba. It lies at the end ofCalle Obispo (Bishop Street), across Monserrate Street from the National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana). The establishment is famous for itsdaiquiris and for having been one of the favourite hangouts ofErnest Hemingway in Havana. The bar now boasts a life size bronze statue of Ernest Hemingway positioned in his favourite spot at the end of the bar. On a small plaque hanging in El Floridita, hangs Hemingway's signed quote: "My mojito in the Bodeguita del Medio and my daiquiri in the Floridita".[1]
The bar opened in 1817 with the name "La Piña de Plata" (English:The Silver Pineapple) in the place it still occupies, on the corner of Obispo and Monserrate streets. Almost 100 years later, the large number of North American tourists persuaded the owner to change the name to "El Florida".[2][3]
In 1914, theCatalan immigrant Constantino Ribalaigua Vert started working in the bar ascantinero (bartender). Constantino, nicknamedConstante, became the owner in 1918. Constante is credited for inventing the frozendaiquiri in the early 1930s, a drink that became linked to the fame of the place, whose motto is now "la cuna del daiquiri" (the cradle of the daiquiri). The bar became a school of highly skilledcantineros (bartenders) specialised in cocktails prepared with fresh fruit juices andrum, whose traditions are still preserved by the disciples of Constante.[3]
The writerErnest Hemingway frequented the bar, which is at the end ofCalle Obispo, a short walk from theHotel Ambos Mundos where he maintained a room from 1932–1939. Hemingway's children also noted that in the early 1940s Hemingway and his wife "Mary" (Martha Gellhorn) continued to drive from their house outside Havana (Finca Vigía) to the Floridita for drinks.[4] The establishment today contains many noticeablememorabilia of the author, with photographs, a bust, and more recently (2003), a life-size bronze statue at the end of the bar near the wall, sculpted by theCuban artistJosé Villa Soberón.
Hemingway wasn't the only famous customer of the bar.[5] The establishment was frequented by many generations ofCuban and foreign intellectuals and artists.Ezra Pound,John Dos Passos, andGraham Greene, the British novelist who wroteOur Man in Havana, were also frequent customers.
The place still preserves much of the atmosphere of the 1940s and 1950s, with the red coats of the bartenders matching the Regency style decoration that dates from the 1950s, although now most of its customers are occasional tourists. Besides thecocktails, the place is well known[6] for its expensive seafood.
