It’s all about the details when enjoying Hemingway’s favorite drink in Old Havana.
Ah, writers and their cocktails. F. Scott Fitzgerald and his gin rickey. Faulker and his mint julep. Oscar Wilde and his absinthe.
Ernest Hemingway and, as the sign says, “My mojito in La Bodeguita. My daiquiri in La Floridita.” The former sits about a half-mile away from La Bodeguita del Medio in Old Havana. Sure, La Floridita’s adult smoothie is great, but La B del M’s mojitos are unlike any you’ll get here.
That’s because Hemingway’s refreshment there is mixed with Havana Club, the most delicious rum out there, smooth as a bullfighter’s silk and with just-right sweetness. Next: yerba buena (“good herb”). It’s of the mint family, but not as overpowering as mint, far more delicate, ever so gently crushed. Finally, the sugar is like rock candy, also lightly crushed, to stir up as much—or as little—as you’d like; the libation gets sweeter as you go.
At La B del M, they’re served in plain, 6- to 8-ounce glasses, frosty cold to break the heat. One is heaven. Two, you’re addicted. Three and you’re on your own. Twenty, well, that’s a whole other story.
