There are some things you wouldn’t do in Havana, like gambling for example. It was banned decades ago with the triumph of the Cuban revolution in 1959. Before that, hundreds of Americans used to hit the capital’s casinos and bars on weekends hoping to get lucky on the roulette as they enjoyed of the diverse Cuban cocktails that barmen prepared with mastery.
We have come a long way ever since, but the cocktail making tradition has lived to become one of Havana’s specialties. Daiquiri, Piña Colada, Mojito, Cuba Libre, Cubanito, Havana Special, you name it, and any regular bar in the city will provide.
Establishments as Floridita, Sloppy Joe, Bodeguita del Medio, grew famous around different cocktails and the celebrities that drank them.
“My Mojito in la Bodeguita and my Daiquiri in El Floridita” immortalized Ernest Hemingway whose passion for mixed drinks was beyond imaginable.
Recently Havana has been appointed as Iberoamerica’s cocktail capital, a deserved recognition to decades of expertise on the art of liquor mixing.
With a wide scope of bars, variety of drinks and cultural diversity the city is always a great pick for going out at night.
And the fun starts in hotels’ lobbies where traditional music and mixology create a unique atmosphere. At bar Siboney of Tryp Habana Libre for example, cocktail making mingles with music and scenic arts in a project called “Adán Y Eva”.
Having a world-champion drink as inspiration, this cozy lobby bar is a meeting point for artists, tourists and locals, with equal passion for music and mixology. In this quiet and stylish place, “The King of Daiquiri”, barman Adrián Ravelo reigns along with world-champ and “Adán and Eva” cocktail creator Sergio Serrano. They will offer you not only the best mixtures in town but tons of stories.
The Iberoamerica’s cocktail capital opens its arms to visitors from all over the world. Meliá Cuba hotels in Havana, will welcome you likewise. Pick your blend, let’s have a toast!
