This tavern on Calle Obispo has been serving libations since 1817. A century later, it became so popular among Florida tourists it was renamed El Florida and eventually El Floridita. According to legend, a bartender (cantinero) named Constantino Ribalaigua Vert blended together rum, lime juice and sugar then named his sweet concoction Daiquiri after a mine and beach in Santiago de Cuba. Although others claim to have invented the cocktail, the Floridita’s signature drink became a favorite of Ernest Hemingway. He frequented the bar from 1932 until the early 1940s. You can sip yours next to a life-size bronze statue of Papa at the end of the bar.
