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Feature: Famous Havana bar hosts Daiquiri contest as it closes in on 200 years

Xinhua, July 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

Rum, lemon, sugar and ice hit the blenders on Thursday at Havana's famous El Floridita bar as it hosted the eighth of the King of Daiquiri contest to commemorate the 199th anniversary of the place Ernest Hemingway made one of his favorites.

Considered the birthplace of the daiquiri, El Floridita stands out for its emblematic Cuban cocktail that has driven bartenders from around the world to come together to compete in preparing the classic Cuban drink.

"This competition is a celebration of a bar that has been here this long. Part of that is honoring the tradition and making those drinks the way they should be made," Nick Dietrich, a 31-year-old U.S. bartender, told Xinhua.

The rules called for contestants to prepare three traditional rum and lime daiquiris, as well as two of a fruit flavor of their choice.

Three veteran El Floridita bartenders in bright red blazers and ties sat as judges, with tasters at a nearby table.

"It is one of the most consumed cocktails in the world. It was created by Constantino Ribalaiva as, when he became owner of El Floridita in 1918, he looked for something to make this place unique. With the help of an ice machine, he created the daiquiri frappe," Cuban contestant and bartender Mirtha Gonzalez told Xinhua.

Originally known as La Pina de Plata, El Floridita opened on July 6, 1817, and will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2017.

Competitors from Canada, Panama, Argentina, Mexico, the U.S. and Cuba prepared the house-made drinks based on lemon juice, dry ice, rum and sugar.

"I think the way to win is to exercise poise and grace as well as the dedication that you see here every day when you come to have a drink," added Dietrich.

Four years ago, this bar made the world's largest daiquiri drink of over 275 liters, which made the Guinness Book of Records, and brought El Floridita even more fame.

Tourists are fond of having their picture taken with a life-size statue of Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway, who frequently visited the bar when he lived in Cuba. Endit