It’s time for a Cuban fiesta! In collaboration with Havana Club rum, Revoluciòn de Cuba in Liverpool is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the world-famous Cuban bar, Hemmingway hangout and birthplace of the daiquiri, El Floridita, with a limited-edition cocktail menu, available now.
Marking the opening of its doors on 6th July 1817, Revoluciòn de Cuba’s Cantineros have taken inspiration from the legendary Havana bar to create four Floridita Especiales. And, in light of recent events across the Caribbean, Havana Club and Revoluciòn de Cuba are donating 20p from every El Floridita cocktail sold to the Red Cross Hurricane Appeal to support their Cuban and Caribbean friends.
First up, the daiquiri – said to be invented at El Floridita for the bar’s most famous patron, Ernest Hemingway who once wrote: “My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridita” in a verse that is still framed on La Bodeguita’s wall. At Revoluciòn de Cuba, the classic comes with Havana Club 3 rum, maraschino liqueur, lime juice and sugar, and for a tropical touch, there’s El Floridita’s signature serve, the Banana Daiquiri – a smooth and suave mix of Havana Club 3, crème de banane, passion fruit, lime and pineapple.
Other rum-packed cocktails include the El Presidente; a straight up serve of Havana Club Añejo Especial rum, Martini Rosso vermouth, Cointreau, grenadine and cranberry, and the Strawberry Sizzle; a long mix of Havana Club Añejo Especial rum and Velvet Falernum liqueur with strawberry, sugar, lime and bitters.
El Floridita was brought to fame by the Cuban cocktail creator, Constantino Ribalaigua Vert, in 1914 and the Revoluciòn de Cuba team journey out to the bar every year for a party pilgrimage – it’s as popular with them as it is with some of the world’s famous faces including Jack Nicholson, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.
In 1953, during its golden years, El Floridita was named as one of Esquire’s top seven bars in the world and has since hosted a number of celebrities.
Serving up incredible cocktails and fuelling a fiesta of epic proportions is what Revoluciòn de Cuba does best. The bar’s Cantineros shake, mix, muddle and set fire to their twisted classic cocktails, just like they do in Ol’ Havana.