Petite Cuban Bar, Manolito, Opens Its Doors in the French Quarter

Over the weekend, two of New Orleans’ most celebrated bartenders, Chris Hannah and Nick Detrich, opened Manolito, a new Cuban bar and cafe in the French Quarter.

Hannah, head bartender at the James Beard award-winning French 75 bar, and Detrich, the rum wunderkind behind the award-winning proto-tiki bar, Cane & Table, took the inspiration for the bar from one of their mentors, Manuel Carbajo Aguiar.

For over 20 years, Aguiar bartended at Havana’s Floridita, where Ernest Hemingway was a regular. The pair met Aguiar in Cuba while they were exploring the Cuban style of bartending, including the Basque technique of “throwing” a cocktail (mixing a cocktail by pouring it several times from high up in the air).

Expect classics like daiquiris, el presidente, papa doble (Hemingway’s favorite), and mojitos. According to NOLA.COM, Coquette’s chef de cuisine Cesar Nuñez will serve traditional Cuban food like Cubanos, ropa vieja, ceviche, and black bean soup.

Manolito is located where Cuban darling El Libre dished out pressed sandwiches and coffee before relocating Uptown. Konrad Kantor, who helped open El Libre in the French Quarter, is partnering with Detrich and Hannah on Manolito. (He’s also partnering with Detrich on Everywhen, a bar opening later this year.)

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• The Cocktail King Of Cuba: The Man Who Invented Hemingway’s Favorite Daiquiri [NPR]
• Chris Hannah and Nick Detrich Team Up For a New Cuban Bar [ENOLA]
• A New French Quarter Bar and Cafe Celebrates Cuba: Opening Alert for Manolito [NOLA.COM]
• Nick Detrich Returns to New Orleans with Everywhen Bar [ENOLA]
• Nick Detrich Steps Away From Cane & Table [ENOLA]
• The Myth Behind Hemingway’s Favorite Drink [E]
• Arnaud’s French 75 wins James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program [NOLA.COM]