El Floridita Havana: Inside Hemingway's Favorite Daiquiri Bar
El Floridita Havana is one of the most famous bars in the world. It sits at the end of Obispo Street in Old Havana, and it has been pouring drinks since 1817, when it opened as La Piña de Plata, or "The Silver Pineapple." Today it's known as the "Cradle of the Daiquiri," and it's the place Ernest Hemingway loved most for a cold drink.
Hemingway spent countless evenings at El Floridita, sitting in his favorite corner of the bar and swapping stories with friends. He even described his frozen daiquiri as looking "like the sea where the wave falls away from the bow of a ship." If you want to feel Hemingway's Havana, this is the place to start.
TAKE A SELF-GUIDED TOUR OF HAVANA:
El Floridita is one stop on Havana's Historic Downtown and Ernest Hemingway's Walking Tour, a self-guided GPS audio tour through Old Havana.
Along the way you'll learn:
Which hotel room Hemingway lived in while writing "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
Where the mojito was born
Why one Havana bar brags that Hemingway never drank there
How Cuba's fishermen inspired "The Old Man and the Sea"
The walk takes a little over an hour.
THE STORY OF EL FLORIDITA:
The bar opened in 1817, and later took the name El Floridita. In the early 1900s, a Spanish-born bartender named Constantino Ribalaigua perfected the frozen daiquiri here, blending rum, lime, and sugar with crushed ice. People called him the "Cocktail King."
Hemingway started coming in the 1930s, when he lived down the street at Hotel Ambos Mundos. He kept coming back for decades, and the bar became part of his legend.
WHAT TO ORDER:
The classic daiquiri—White rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar, shaken or blended with ice.
The Papa Doble—Also called the Hemingway Daiquiri, it's made with double the rum, lime, grapefruit juice, and a splash of maraschino liqueur, with no sugar.
Something without alcohol—Ask the bartender for a juice or soft drink if you'd rather skip the rum.
WHAT YOU'LL SEE:
The Hemingway statue—A life-size bronze of Hemingway leans on the bar in his favorite corner.
The long bar—Red-jacketed bartenders lining up daiquiris by the dozen.
Live music—Cuban bands often play in the corner of the bar.
TIPS FOR VISITING EL FLORIDITA:
Go early. The bar gets very busy, especially in the afternoon and evening.
Be patient at the statue. Everyone wants a photo with Hemingway, so wait your turn.
Bring cash. Many foreign cards don't work in Cuba, and prices change often.
Pace yourself. Hemingway's drinks are strong, and there are more bars on the tour.
MORE HEMINGWAY SITES IN HAVANA:
Hotel Ambos Mundos—Where Hemingway lived in Room 511, now a small museum.
La Bodeguita del Medio—The tiny bar known as the birthplace of the mojito.
Dos Hermanos—The old port bar where he stopped for a beer after fishing trips.
Sloppy Joe's Bar—A famous Prohibition-era bar Hemingway loved.
Finca Vigía—His hilltop home outside the city, kept just as he left it.
PLAN YOUR TRIP:
Want the full breakdown—where to eat, where to stay, and the best things to do in Havana? Our Havana travel guide covers all of it.
Check out our Havana travel guide to plan your trip.
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