On Empedrado Street that is located in the heart of Old Havana, proclaimed by the UNESCO World Heritage Site, you may find ‘La Bodeguita del Medio’, a place that Ernest Hemingway regularly visited.
There, he delighted his taste with the famous ‘mojitos’, a drink of Cuban cocktails prepared with rum, lemon juice, mint leaf, sugar, soda, and ice cubes. He was seduced by the specialty of that restaurant since his first drink in that restaurant- bar.
Ángel Martínez who died a few years ago was the owner and founder of that building which had acquired an international fame.
In a certain occasion a colleague asked him which of the characters that had visited ‘La Bodeguita del Medio had deeply impressed him. He answered immediately: Nicolás Guillén, the National Cuban Poet and also Salvador Allende who was the President of Chile.
While bringing back his memories Martínez said: “Hemingway visited us when he was given the Nobel Prize and afterwards I was in his house.
They both met in 1954, during the homage he was offered in a brewery. They made friends and they rose their cups together.
“Hemingway brought his friends here to show them his photography because there was a photo of him in La Bodeguita del Medio” said the owner of the place.
The years have not erased the presence of all the personalities who have been at the cradle of the Mojito in Cuba. Photos, streamers, memories of all kind, and above all hundred of thousands of signatures in any place of the centennial construction transform La Bodeguita del Medio into one of the tourist attractions of the Cuban capital. There is so much history there, that a visit to this place can be an unforgettable memory.
