The restaurant-bar Floriditaconsidered the most emblematic of Cuba, was included among the 50 best bars in North America and the Caribbean, a renowned list recently made public in New York City.
Orlando Blanco, administrator of the famous site located at the beginning of Obispo Street, in Havana, and where many assure that the best Daiquiri of the world, asserted that the designation is a reflection of the “high standard maintained for years”, according to an office of the Cuban News Agency (ACN).
El Floridita is one of the most emblematic restaurant-bars in #Cuba has been included among the 50 best bars in North America and the Caribbean according to North America’s 50 Best Bars 2022, a renowned list recently released in New York City. pic.twitter.com/KKxtA0g7BI
– Ministry of Tourism (@MinturCuba) June 10, 2022
The manager stressed that the ranking 50 Bestwhich locates Floridita in position 40, was prepared by more than 200 beverage experts, including bar owners and bartenders, who chose only two establishments in Puerto Rico and Cuba to integrate the selection.
Blanco pointed out that the recognition comes to fill the showcases of the establishment, which this year reaches its 205th anniversary, and joins others such as the one obtained in 1953, when it was considered by the famous magazine Esquire among the seven most famous bars in the world, and in 2016, being listed among the best 35 by the International Bar Drink.
According to ACNRené Abel Lara, head of Floriditahighlighted that the inclusion in the list, which for the first edition classifies the beverage spaces in the region, is the result of the sense of belonging of the workers and the “meticulous performance” of its cocktail shakers, heirs of the master Constante Ribalaigua, reinventor of the Daiquirí , who prepared his for the Nobel Prize for Literature Ernest Hemingwayregular of the place.
The expert recalled that during the mandatory break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the center continued to offer takeaway services and the moment was used to carry out a remodeling that has been praised by visitors due to the “excellent state of conservation” of the enclosure, underlines the report.
He added that, along with tourists, many Cubans also visit the place, in his opinion because in addition to the quality of the offers, the prices are “quite attractive” compared to the spaces of the non-state sector in Old Havana, details the media .
The directors revealed that they are preparing several activities to celebrate the establishment’s 205th birthday and the 100th anniversary of Daiquirí No.4, created by Ribalaigua, including canteen classes and a competition with young people up to 23 years of age to prepare the famous cocktail.
Alejandro Bolívar, bartender of Floridita for more than 20 years, explained to the news agency that its current workers preserve the legacy of their predecessors from the 50s and 60s of the last century, when the space achieved true international fame.
The text reminds us that the visitors who come to the Cradle of the Daiquirí every day find the imposing life-size sculpture of Hemingway, created by the artist José Villa Soberón, and a reminder of the bohemian history of the bar-restaurant.
The presence of the American writer goes beyond his bronze figure, the subject of photos and selfies. One of the favorite cocktails continues to be the Papa Hemingway, a unique daiquiri made with Havana Club rum, grapefruit juice, crushed ice, lemon juice and maraschino liqueur, components that are mixed without sugar in a blender, and which was created in your Honor.
