Timetable
Bakeries, cafeterias and ice-cream parlors are generally open all day, until 7, 8, 9 or even later. However, there are no hard and fast rules here, and to avoid wasting time, it's best to make a quick phone call. Bars generally open during the day, but tend to fill up when the sun goes down, i.e. around 6-7pm, and close around 1 or 2am, sometimes even later.
What's very local
Coffee por favor! Cuban coffee, little known worldwide because it is produced in quantities too small to be exported, is particularly good! Mainly Arabica, it is grown in the semi-mountainous areas of the country and is renowned for its low acidity, full body, medium intensity and citrus flavours. Espresso (strong) or americano (long), café con leche (café lait) or cortado (short coffee with a dash of milk), the choice is yours. Note that café con miel (honey coffee) is a speciality of southern Cuba. Locally-produced chocolate is also consumed in Cuba, and more specifically in the extreme Oriente region of Barracoa.
A little elegance. When you go out in Cuba, whether to a restaurant, for a drink or, even more so, to dance, it's customary to dress appropriately, not to say elegantly! So if you're invited by Cubans to go out, put your casual attire to one side and dress to the nines!
Rum. Ron Superior, a twice-distilled rum, conveys the warm image of Cuban culture through its light, shimmering cocktails. Havana-Club owes its ron superior appellation to the quality of the sugar cane grown on Cuba's best land, in the province of Oriente, and to the expertise of its master distillers. But Havana Club is not the only brand of Cuban rum! In Cuba, you can also taste other excellent rum brands such as Arecha, Santiago de Cuba, Edmundo Dantes, Varadero and Santero y Caney. Mulata rum, on the other hand, is of inferior quality and is often served in the bars of all-inclusive hotels.
Here are some of Cuba's most popularrum-based cocktails:
Cuba libre. In a tall glass, pour 1 measure of rum, 5 measures of coca, the juice of half a lime and 2 ice cubes.
Daïquiri. Juice of half a lime, half a spoonful of sugar, 1 measure of rum, a few ice cubes, shaken in a shaker. Serve over ice in a cocktail glass. Some even make it with strawberry juice!
Greta-Garbo. In a shaker, pour half a spoonful of sugar, a teaspoonful of maraschino, the juice of a lime, one and a half measures of rum, 5 drops of Pernod and ice. Whisk and serve immediately.
Havana-especial. In a shaker with a few ice cubes, 1 part rum, 1 part pineapple juice. Shake and serve strained.
Hemingway-especial. In a blender with crushed ice, 1 measure rum, 1 measure grapefruit juice and 1 half-squeezed lime. Beat well and serve well chilled.
Mojito. Cuba's national drink, a legacy of buccaneering king Francis Drake, it's Creole to the core. Pour into a glass: half a spoonful of sugar, the juice of half a lime, 1 measure of rum, 2 or 3 ice cubes, crush a few fresh mint leaves with the sugar and lemon juice, top up with sparkling water and, before serving, dip in a sprig of mint.
Ron Collins. Pour into a tall glass 1 measure of rum, 1 half-spoonful of sugar, 1 half-squeezed lemon, 2 or 3 ice cubes, top up with sparkling water, add a slice of lemon and, if desired, a cherry.