Piano-bar Maragato
This bar, inside the Hotel Florida, has been growing in popularity and has become a destination for Havana nightlife.
This building, like so many others in Havana, is quite old, having been built in 1836, and members of the nobility stayed there, such as the Count of San Ignacio and José Eugenio More.
In 1885, Don José Dobano converted the building into a hotel, which required a series of modifications to meet the high demand from European and American guests. Today, it is once again a hotel, due to the high demand from international tourists.
Maragato was one of those quintessential Havana barmen who concocted “gifts for the spirit” at the beginning of the twentieth century. He was especially known for his Cuba Libre, his daiquiri, Saoco, Presidente, and other drinks like the Jack Rose, Martini or Scotch on the Rocks. At the time, Albert Stevens, the bartender at the Waldorf Astoria in New York dryly commented once,"Over the last few years, many American tourists in Havana discovered that their ideas about cocktails were very limited. In other words, they learned the art of cocktails there." Among those imparting the art of cocktails was the famous bartender Maragato.
Today, the Piano Bar that carries his name offers many drinks. As he said many years ago, “drinking is an aspect of education, and even of culture".
|
|
