press
A new French Quarter bar and cafe celebrates Cuba: Opening alert for Manolito
April 02, 2018
Todd Price announces the opening of Manolito:
"Manolito, a new French Quarter bar and cafe, is a tribute to Havana's El Floridita, the bar where Ernest Hemingway often sat and nursed stiff drinks. Manolito is also a tribute to a person: Manuel Carbajo Aguiar, who worked behind the bar at El Floridita for 20 years."
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"At this snug shrine to all things Cuban, they make a Presidente as if Hemingway had never died."
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"The best frozen cocktails in all of the United States? Possible."
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"Manolito is [a] loving tribute, featuring a bar menu of authentic Cuban daiquiris and other cocktails, with snacks like ropa vieja, a Spanish tortilla, and Cuban sandwiches to match."
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"Focused on authentic Cuban drinks, it’s named after the late Manuel Carbajo Aguiar, a twenty-year veteran of El Floridita in Havana."
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"It’s no surprise this place stuns considering that some of New Orleans’ most admired bartenders are behind it."
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"Though not obvious heirs to the legacy of the Cuban cocktail, [Manolito] strives to honor Manolito with every drink they pour, blend or throw. "
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"When fishing off Cuba, Ernest Hemingway used to call tequila his “steering fluid.” [Manolito's] Daiquiris were mine, keeping me pointed toward home."
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"Manolito’s generosity of spirit made naming the bar after him a “no-brainer." As Hannah explains, "El Floridita has always been the ground zero bar for us as a group to meet-up at [during trips to Havana]. Manolito was always there with a smile, waiting for us.”
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"James Beard Award–winning bartender Chris Hannah, makes them all better than anyone."
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"Manolito is a tribute to Cuba’s cocktail culture, as a romantic snapshot of a specific time and place and with a spirit that is very much of the here and now."
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"In other words, there’s every reason to visit this escapist watering hole."