Havana Club Rum advertising swizzle stick with La Giraldilla finial — orange
Entry/Object ID
2025.25.12
Description
Single translucent orange/amber plastic cocktail stirrer/pick. The figural finial is a standing sculpture of La Giraldilla — a female figure with left hand on hip and right hand holding a tall cross-topped staff, set against a circular disc — the emblem of Havana and of Havana Club rum. The shaft is embossed HAVANA CLUB RUM and terminates in a two-tined fork.
Collection
María Teresa Cornide Hernández collection
Acquisition
Accession
2025.25
Made/Created
Manufacturer
Havana Club
Place
Country
Cuba
Region
Caribbean, Central America
Notes
Maker: Havana Club rum (Cuban state-production era) — promotional barware; stirrer manufacturer not marked.
Date: circa 1970s–1980s (likely in range). The La Giraldilla emblem was adopted as the Havana Club logo in the early 1970s, so the stirrer dates no earlier than then; the state-era English-market style and the aged plastic point to the 1970s–80s. A post-1990 date can't be fully excluded, but the design predates the modern "Cuban Rums"/lime branding (cf. IMG_4173). (Firmly post-~1970; exact year tentative.)
Inscription/Signature/Marks
Notes
Shaft embossed HAVANA CLUB RUM. Figural La Giraldilla finial (no lettering).
Materials
Material
Plastic
Material Notes
Materials: Molded plastic (polystyrene/acrylic), translucent orange/amber.
Technique: Injection-molded; integral figural Giraldilla finial, embossed lettering, and forked terminal.
Condition
Overall Condition
Good
Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Havana Club
Related Places
Place
City
Havana
Country
Cuba
Region
Caribbean, Central America
Research Notes
Notes
La Giraldilla is the bronze weathervane figure (c. 1630s, attributed to Jerónimo Martín Pinzón, traditionally said to represent Inés de Bobadilla) atop the Castillo de la Real Fuerza in Old Havana, and the emblem of the city. Havana Club adopted it as the brand logo in the early 1970s.
