12/05/2021
From the blog: Iconic Bars •
LA BODEGUITA DEL MEDIO
La Bodeguita Del Medio is a World iconic bar from Cuba.
Born as a small local grocery store called Bodega La Complaciente, in 1942 it was sold to Angel Martinez that changed the shop to a typical Cuban restaurant/bar called Casa Martínez.
In 1950 the name was changed to bodeguita del medio, the origin of the name comes from the fact that grocery stores were usually on the corner of the street so they would have more visibility , this particular shop was in the middle of the street medio meaning middle, that is how the name was born.
In the following years la bodeguita was a place that attracted mainly only the locals. So the question is :How did it become a world famous bar? Apparently, Sepy Dobronyi, a Cuban based sculptor had much to do with it. He became famous after sculpting a n**e statue of Ekberg for Pl***oy Magazine. He became an attraction for tourists, they visited his studio and then went for a meal and drink at a place just round the corner:The Bodeguita.
Legend says that one day, Leonardo García, a regular customer signed his name on the restaurant wall and that became a tradition followed by many important celebrities: Pablo Neruda… and Ernest Hemingway.
Hemingway was a customer of the bar but not a regular according to founder Angel Martínez. His celebration framed inscription “My mojito in La Bodeguita, My daiquiri in El Floridita” is an unlikely autograph by Hemingway, according to biographer Philip Greene.
“Hemingway usually signed his name without loops in the “g” and “y”, while the signature in the Bodeguita does include loops.”
Hard to say what is true but it’s part of the bar legacy !
Something that for sure is linked to La Bodeguita is the Mojito. It is the bar’s signature drink and one of the most famous on the world.
Bar Lab Plus can bring a touch of HAVANA at your event. We can treat your guests with the original Cuban Mojito made by one of our bartenders.
•
•
•
•
•