Name/Title
Drinks coaster, La Bodeguita del Medio (Havana)Entry/Object ID
2025.1.292Description
Round coaster in a mottled cream/tan material that appears to be paper-pulp pressed). The face is printed in black with the venue's emblem within a double-ruled circle: a colonial fanlight (medio punto / luceta) device above the lettering "LA B. DEL M" (for La Bodeguita del Medio), "La Habana Vieja," and "CUBA." The surface is heavily aged and soiled, with parts of the print rubbed and faint.Use
Used in the Arús Caraballo household.Context
A branded/souvenir coaster from La Bodeguita del Medio, the iconic bar-restaurant on Calle Empedrado in Old Havana. Founded in 1942 by Ángel Martínez (out of a small grocery, "La Complaciente"), it grew into a haunt of intellectuals and artists, became internationally famous as a "temple of the mojito," and is wrapped in Hemingway lore — the much-displayed line "Mi mojito en La Bodeguita, mi daiquirí en El Floridita," now generally considered apocryphal by historians. Nationalized after the Revolution and today run by the state tourism company Palmares, it shifted over the later 20th century toward an overwhelmingly tourist clientele. The coaster — using the fanlight, a quintessential Havana colonial architectural motif, as a logo — is a piece of the venue's branding and of Cuban hospitality/tourism material culture.Collection
The Cabrera Arús family collection, Leopoldo Arús Gálvez collectionMade/Created
Manufacturer
La Bodeguita del MedioPlace
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
Date: undetermined and not closely datable. The "La B. del M." fanlight emblem was used over a long span; the coaster carries no date. It may fall outside the collection's nominal upper bound — i.e., it could be a later, tourist-era piece postdating 1990 — so the date should be treated as open pending evidence.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Transcription
La B del M, La Habana Vieja, CubaLanguage
SpanishNotes
Printed black emblem: fanlight (medio punto) device within a double circle; "LA B. DEL M"; "La Habana Vieja"; "CUBA." Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Leopoldo Arús GálvezNotes
ownerPerson or Organization
La Bodeguita del MedioRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaCreated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
March 31, 2022Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
June 18, 2026