Popular Post Ken Gargett Posted July 23, 2019 Popular Post Posted July 23, 2019 Features City focus: Havana There is no finer place to drink rum than Havana, Cuba’s splendid capital, and no better guide than Club Oenologique’s spirits consultant Words by Colin Hampden-White Photography by Anders Overgaard Previous Story Next Story “You must see it before it changes forever” is the phrase on the lips of many who have been lucky enough to experience Cuba. The fading grandeur and upbeat atmosphere have not yet been overwhelmed by the weight of America influence. That Cuba will change is certain, but it’s not going to happen immediately. All the iconic sights are there: the sleek American cars of the 1950s, and beyond them, the classic Spanish colonial-era architecture. In a free market country, gentrification and modernisation would have seen off many of these buildings, but here they still stand, ancient and crumbling. Some only just hang on, slowly descending into a venerable old age, old aristocrats in an extended, decades-long autumn. This might seem a bleak picture, but the views are far from bleak; there’s brightness everywhere. A 1958 Chevrolet Delray on a Havana street Cubans love colour; they might not have sufficient funds to repair their buildings, but they can still afford to paint them. Façades are multi-coloured; azure vies with sunflower yellow and vivid green. An intense palate of luminous blue and turquoise wins the day. These two colours dominate the landscape, which is appropriate considering Cuba is a Caribbean island. Cuba is synonymous with rum and rum-based cocktails. It is the home of iconic bars such as El Floridita and La Bodeguita Del Medio, the celebrated basement jazz club La Zorra y El Cuervo, and classic drinks including the Cuba Libre, daiquiri and mojito. Customers at a table in La Zorra el Cuervo A Havana street scene The rum to drink is Havana Club, and the Havana Club bottling of choice should be Selección de Maestros, which is created by all eight of the rum masters in Cuba, (irrespective of the brand for whom they work), headed by the company’s Maestro del Ron Cubano, Asbel Morales. The competition in most other countries would make this collaboration near impossible. In Cuba it seems perfectly straightforward. As a visitor there is little opportunity to become involved in the everyday life of Cuba: no holiday homes to be bought or restaurants to invest in. All we can do is extol the culture, history and spirit of this extraordinary, vibrant island, and there’s no finer medium for doing so than rum. Business as usual at La Terraza Havana Club poster Where to try rum Having a mojito at La Bodeguita Del Medio is a must. It is a small bar that finds just enough space for a band to play in the corner, and to pour and serve mojitos en masse. The majority of the drinkers congregate outside, extending the boundaries of the bar. Then, like a pilgrim ticking off holy sites, you have to take a daiquiri in El Floridita. The younger generation of Cubans hangs out in the lesser-known bars, experimenting with different ingredients in their cocktails, but always the same spirit. The biggest of the rum brands in Cuba, and the only one distributed out of the country, is Havana Club. Where to learn about rum A visit to Museo del Ron Havana Club is the best place to learn about rum production in Cuba, the facts and figures, and the processes and the people who create it. But it’s in the smaller bars where one can really learn about the culture of rum. Start with the traditional, Bar Monserrate, with dark wood décor and bow-tied barman; it’s like being on a film set. For views, there is El Polvorin, with its vista over Havana harbour. For the modern, there is Roma. Owned by Cuban DJ Alain Dark, it plays mostly electronic music and often features international DJs on the rooftop terrace. It is a snapshot of how the contemporary Havana bar scene is developing. One of the best all-round bars for cocktails and food, which is not on the tourist trail, is Chanchullero. It has a relaxed atmosphere and wittily undercuts the classic tourist perception of Havana: one poster insists, “Hemingway was never here”. Inside La Floridita Where to buy rum The pinnacle of the Havana Club range is the Icónica Collection – a set of super-premium rums designed to showcase the high quality of Havana Club and appeal to spirits connoisseurs and collectors alike. The rums have all been created by Asbel Morales and feature some of the oldest aged rums in the Havana Club portfolio. There is no best place to buy rum. All the shops have the same pricing; Communism still rules in Cuba. La Zorra y El Cuervo Avenida 23 | Entre N y o, Havana, Cuba La Floridita Obispo 557 Esquina a Monserrate esq. a Monserrate, Havana Vieja, Havana 10100 Cuba La Bodeguita del Medio Empedrado No. 207, Havana, Cuba Museo del Ron Havana Club Avenida del Puerto 262, esq. Sol, Habana Vieja Cuba, Havana, Cuba Bar Monserrate Monserrate No. 401 La Habana Vieja, Havana, Cuba El Polvorin La Habana, Havana, Cuba Bar Roma 162 Aguacate, Havana, Cuba Chanchullero Teniente Rey, 457A bajos Plaza El Cristo Habana Vieja, Havana, Cuba 5
Nino Posted July 23, 2019 Posted July 23, 2019 Nice marketing piece for Havana Club. Fitting as all better Brands like Santiago, Cubay, Santero, Mulata etc. are "lost" and not available to buy. So it is only the HC for tourists that is around ... 4
Ken Gargett Posted July 23, 2019 Author Posted July 23, 2019 5 hours ago, nino said: Nice marketing piece for Havana Club. Fitting as all better Brands like Santiago, Cubay, Santero, Mulata etc. are "lost" and not available to buy. So it is only the HC for tourists that is around ... nino, no doubt they sponsored the journo on the trip but i thought it still worth putting up, might give some ideas for anyone who has not yet been. 1
Nino Posted July 24, 2019 Posted July 24, 2019 8 hours ago, Ken Gargett said: nino, no doubt they sponsored the journo on the trip but i thought it still worth putting up, might give some ideas for anyone who has not yet been. Absolutely @Ken Gargett I Love that they include Bar Monserrate in the list, what a great little bar ! One of my fave dives.
Ken Gargett Posted July 24, 2019 Author Posted July 24, 2019 9 minutes ago, nino said: Absolutely @Ken Gargett I Love that they include Bar Monserrate in the list, what a great little bar ! One of my fave dives. nino, completely agree. one of my favourite anywhere. had one of my very best evenings ever in cuba in there when we adopted the bloke sweeping the floors because he was great fun. he kept bumming smokes from my mates (cigarettes) and we kept buying him rums and he looked after us. he turned out to be lorenzo aragorn. olympic silver medal winner. and at an earlier olympics, was supposedly robbed by a hometown decision against floyd mayweather. not so sure about that but it was a very close fight. not many can say that. 1
Nino Posted July 24, 2019 Posted July 24, 2019 3 hours ago, Ken Gargett said: nino, completely agree. one of my favourite anywhere. had one of my very best evenings ever in cuba in there when we adopted the bloke sweeping the floors because he was great fun. he kept bumming smokes from my mates (cigarettes) and we kept buying him rums and he looked after us. he turned out to be lorenzo aragorn. olympic silver medal winner. and at an earlier olympics, was supposedly robbed by a hometown decision against floyd mayweather. not so sure about that but it was a very close fight. not many can say that. @Ken Gargett Ha ! We have similar tastes and encounters I guess. Look at this video I took 3 years ago at Bar Monserrate, Lorenzo could be the guy in the first 25 seconds of it shadow boxing outside. I later went out and had a few boxing steps with the man and invited the guys inside to share our table. Great fun ! For more pictures and text go here : http://flyingcigar.de/startseite/havana-may-2016-midnight-boxing-smoking-dancing/
canadianbeaver Posted July 24, 2019 Posted July 24, 2019 Great conversation to read. Thank you @nino and @Ken Gargett! Made my morning coffee so interesting. When in San Francisco, a wonderful store owner said his three favourite rums were these. Been waiting to show you. I do not have to buy them, I just learn about them then take their picture lol. CB 2
GasGuy82 Posted July 24, 2019 Posted July 24, 2019 11 hours ago, canadianbeaver said: Great conversation to read. Thank you @nino and @Ken Gargett! Made my morning coffee so interesting. When in San Francisco, a wonderful store owner said his three favourite rums were these. Been waiting to show you. I do not have to buy them, I just learn about them then take their picture lol. CB You need to get the 2004 and the Empery 1
Ken Gargett Posted July 24, 2019 Author Posted July 24, 2019 12 hours ago, nino said: @Ken Gargett Ha ! We have similar tastes and encounters I guess. Look at this video I took 3 years ago at Bar Monserrate, Lorenzo could be the guy in the first 25 seconds of it shadow boxing outside. I later went out and had a few boxing steps with the man and invited the guys inside to share our table. Great fun ! For more pictures and text go here : http://flyingcigar.de/startseite/havana-may-2016-midnight-boxing-smoking-dancing/ nino, that isn't lorenzo, unless he has had an unbelievably tough decade! but i am sure that i remember the guy centre stage playing the rattlely things. last time i saw him, he was literally playing the jawbone of a horse with a drumstick. weird but good.
Ken Gargett Posted July 24, 2019 Author Posted July 24, 2019 11 hours ago, canadianbeaver said: Great conversation to read. Thank you @nino and @Ken Gargett! Made my morning coffee so interesting. When in San Francisco, a wonderful store owner said his three favourite rums were these. Been waiting to show you. I do not have to buy them, I just learn about them then take their picture lol. CB love the dominus and the 05 and the 04 is seriously special as well. not familiar with the middle one. 1
Ken Gargett Posted July 25, 2019 Author Posted July 25, 2019 7 hours ago, juri said: quick cigars or rum witch would you rather have if you could only pick one for the rest of your life! might be an interesting question for the forum but one which will disappear in this thread.
GasGuy82 Posted July 26, 2019 Posted July 26, 2019 On 7/24/2019 at 4:44 PM, Ken Gargett said: love the dominus and the 05 and the 04 is seriously special as well. not familiar with the middle one. @Ken Gargett have you had the Empery yet? I prefer the ‘05 to the ‘04. The ‘07 is also excellent but I just cannot bring myself to enjoy the Premise.
Ken Gargett Posted July 26, 2019 Author Posted July 26, 2019 15 minutes ago, GasGuy82 said: @Ken Gargett have you had the Empery yet? I prefer the ‘05 to the ‘04. The ‘07 is also excellent but I just cannot bring myself to enjoy the Premise. not yet. by coincidence, i have the 05, Dominus and Premise all on the desk in front of me. i think i go days i prefer the 04 and others where i prefer the 05. toss a coin. 1
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