Founded
on November 16, 1519, the township of San Cristobal
de La Habana celebrated its 298th birthday in
1817. At that time Havana was a city of just over
84,000 inhabitants, protected by a system of fortresses
and walls from the constant siege of corsairs
and pirates.
The wall divided the city in two: the walled
portion, where the rich Spaniards and Cuban-born
whites resided: and the portion outside the wall,
inhabited by the poor, blacks and country folk,
who entered and exited the walled city every day,
charcoal, corn, meats,etc.
One of the main access points to the walled city
was the Monserrate gate, with its entrance on
Obispo Street and its exit on O'Reillt Street.
Like the others, it opened at a set time in the
morning and closed at a set time at night, signalled
by cannon blasts at the San Carlos de la Cabana
Fortress.
Around that time, ice made its appearance in Havana.
Although it had been landed for its medicinal
benefits, it was put to its greatest use in this
city to chill drinks warding off the sweltering
tropical climate.
Thus emerged, at the corner of Obispo and Monserrate
Streets, an establishment named after the "queen"
of fruits: La Pina de Plata (The Silver Pineapple).
There one could calm that terrible thirst with
juices, milkshakes, an almond-flavoured drink
called Chorchata, and soft drinks made from fruit.
Also available were alcoholic beverages, and by
the end of the 19th century the first combinations
became fashionable: simple mixtures of rum, gin,
vermouth or cognac which were the ancestors of
classic international cocktails.
When it was close to 100 years old, La Pina de
Plata changes its name to Floridita, with the
goal of attracting the evermore numerous visitors
from the Untied States, who passed through the
Floridita peninsula. And the people gave the spot
its definitive name, with which it has achieved
worldwide fame: EL FLORIDITA.
At that time it was an open bar from which is
was possible to observe passers by while sitting
at the same 10-meter-long mahogany bar and nearby
the same Corinthian friezes that remain today.
In the 1910's it incorporated a restaurant area,
headed by French chef Lapont.
In 1914, bartender Constnatino Ribalaaigua Vert
arrived at El Floridita. A Spanish immigrant,
he was known as "Constante" to his friends.
In 1918 he took over from Salas Perera as the
owner.
Constante was a master Cuban bartender, the very
embodiment of professionalism, creativity and
cleanliness. He devoted his whole life to his
profession, preparing cocktails behind the bar,
and converted El Floridita into the city's cathedral
of cocktails. Indeed, he had numerous creations:
Presidente, Habana Special and more. But the Daiquiri
is undoubtedly the cocktail that achieved the
greatest international fame, and for that reason
there is a phraser embossed in bronze on the ice
chest over the bar: "The Cradle of the Daiquiri."
El Floridita became the most famous in Havana,
and one the most famous in the world. In 1953,
Esquire magazine, called it one the world's seven
best bars, along with, the Pied Piper bar in San
Francisco, the Ritz in Paris and London, Raffles
in Singapore, Club 21 in New York and the bar
at the Shellbourne Hotel in Dublin.
Since that time El Floridita is frequented by
distinguished visitors to Havana, ranging from
artists to official guests of the government.
But US novelist, Ernest Hemmingway, winner of
the Nobel Prize for literature, was the most assiduous
of all. He became a personal friend of Constante
and after the latter's death in 1953, Hemmingway
continued to consider El Floridita his favourite
spot in Havana, during the more than 20 years
he lived in the country. His favourite bar stool
and a bronze bust unveiled in 1954, when he was
awarded the Nobel Prize for his "Old Man
and the Sea" are permanent witnesses to his
presence.
El Floridita and its Daiquri have been immortalized
in literature on more than one occasion. Perhaps
the best description was written by Hemmingway
himself, in "Islands in the Stream".
The British Regency style and décor that
El Floridita bar/restaurant has today dates back
to the 1950's, as does the carpentry work, lamps
and the paintings on the walls.
In 1991 El Floridita was totally remodelled, respecting
all the original elements, including the bust
Hemmingway and the bar top.
Some of El Floridita's
Customers The
Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Gene Tunney, Jean-Paul
Sartre, Gary Cooper, Luis Miguel Dominguin, Tennessee
Williams, Charles Scribner, Spencer Tracey, Rocky
Marciano, Ava Gardner, Samuel Eliot Morison, Buck
Lanham, Herber Matthews.
And more recently: Paco Rabanne, Joaquin Sabina,
Pablo Milanes, Alicia Alonso, Silvio Rodriguez,
Javier Sotomayor, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Matt
Dillion, Danny Glover, Jack Nicholson, Giorgio
Armani, Gianni Mina, Jean Michel Jarre, Fito Paez
and others
 "Floridita
London " Floridita,
now also to be found promi nently located in London
(Soho), boasts a menu developed by Executive Chef
Andrew Rose that is a mouth-watering interpretation
of cosmopolitan Cuban and Latin American cuisine.
It is eclectic and diverse with the signature
ingredient being Cuban "Langosta" (crayfish)
flown in live directly from Cuba guaranteeing
the freshest and most genuine culinary experience.
Other tantalising dishes include Octopus &
Squid Cerviche, Spit Roast Suckling Pig with Garlic,
Lime & Oregano and Spiced Blackened Fillet
of Red Snapper with Fresh Tomato, Caper &
Olive Sofrido.The
Floridita bar and dance floor, under the guidance
of music producer Steve Brown, resounds on a nightly
basis with the rich rhythm of live Cuban bands
and spectacular cabaret, evolving later in the
evening into more modern Cuban, Latin and international
sounds, mixed by some of London's most respected
DJs.The
finest selection of Cuban cigars outside Cuba
together with the rhythms of bands flown over
from Havana and fused with the sounds of top DJs,
complete the capital's most exhilarating late-night
dining and clubbing experience.
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