Havana Club: The Top 6 Rum Bars in Cuba

A good way to get familiar with Cuba’s rum culture is to visit the Havana Club Rum Museum. Guided tours around a typical distillery museum will take you through the production process, from the very beginning at sugar plantations to production, and consumption (the tour ends at the bar, with rum shots). Tours take some 30 minutes and cost around US$5.

One of the most popular bars in Havana in the 1930s and 1940s, Sloppy Joe’s was completely rebuilt and reopened a few years ago, following a long period of abandonment that started after the 1959 revolution. Located next to the Hotel Parque Central in one of the busiest and fastest growing centers in Old Havana, the bar is extremely popular among tourists, and one of the main stops of Havana’s tours.

This is a bar-restaurant located on the top floor of Havana’s tallest building, the F.O.C.S.A. building, with large windows that offer a fantastic aerial view of the newest part of the city in every direction. There are probably better bars offering better drinks and food – this is a state-run establishment, and usually privately-owned bars are the ones that will come closer to international standards of service – but at no other will you enjoy these awesome views of Havana.

La Flauta Magica (The Magic Flute) is a bar on the top floor of a 10-story building opposite the U.S. Embassy and the Malecon in Vedado. The terrace, which accommodates an inviting swimming pool, offers gorgeous views of the city and the perfect atmosphere to relax after a hot, tropical Cuban day. Live music – including nights especially devoted to jazz performances – make the experience even more enjoyable. In addition to the customary Cuban drinks, the bar takes pride in owning the entire Havana Club portfolio.

One of American author Ernest Hemingway’s favorite spots in Havana, the Floridita bar-restaurant is one of Havana’s most famous bars. Located in the heart of the old quarter, this is a great place for taking pictures next to a real-size bronze statue of the writer. The statue was installed a few years ago in the same spot where he used to sit in the 1950s, and a freshly-made daiquiri is placed in front of the immortalized writer every day. This is also the place to try a “Papa Doble,” a special daiquiri prepared the way Hemingway liked it. A variation that uses the same ingredients as in the original recipe, but adds more rum and no sugar, this mix includes two-and-a-half shots of white rum, lemon juice, half a grapefruit and six drops of maraschino.