My sister Sandra and cousin Sandy decided to host a party for their 'family pod' living in this area of NE Florida during my visit here...the party was yesterday. Sandra is still going through boxes and stuff after her move from Miami last year...she found a little booklet dated 1933 from Sloppy Joe's Bar in Havana...a place where the literati and the famous used to hang out during that era and made famous by Ernest Hemingway.
The booklet has a brief history of the place, a list of the meats and such served in sandwiches, and recipes for alcoholic drinks of the era. A lot of people associate the name Sloppy Joe's with the messy sandwich...but the original Havana Sloppy Joe's was not a sandwich and not even a restaurant as such, but mainly a 'gathering place' for the known and famous to meet, talk, and drink...but yes, some sandwiches were served for those who wished something to nibble on while drinking.
She also had an old vintage souvenir Bacardi recipe booklet, which she had given to her daughter Cassie. Cass brought it with her.
The invitations were sent, with a photo of the façade of the building in Havana
They selected a list of the drink recipes, copied them to individual cards, and had the adult guests each select a card, blindly, and that individual would have to make the drink selected...the rest of the guests would have tastes of each in tiny little cups...
The children had Shirley Temples and Virgin Margaritas.
Cass brought her collection of shakers!
Olives, maraschino cherries, oranges, lemons, and key limes
The front of the island was covered with banana leaves from Cassie and Charlie's yard. The food was placed on them. Sandra made little labels for the cheeses.
Fixings for the Elena Ruz sandwiches... cream cheese, sliced turkey, strawberry jam, and instead of the traditional Medianoche bread (not available here) we used sweet Hawaiian bread rolls.
To learn more about the history of this most improbable Cuban sandwich, check an earlier blog post here: The Elena Ruz Sandwich - the real story
Strawberries, figs, grapes, and apple slices were the fruits I selected to go with the cheeses. The kids went straight for the strawberries and Ghirardelli chocolate dish. The three different types of honey were a contribution from my friend Carey Yost and came from beehives in her yard on the Big Island.
In case you didn't know...cheeses are delicious with a dribble of honey!
There is a lemon and fig marmalade in the yellow bowl at top center.
A scrumptious tip...put a dab of Blue Cheese on a fig half and dribble honey on it...YUM!
The meat tray, two different types of sliced sausages, an assortment of nuts, and a tray of pickles, and olives completed the buffet spread.
Jen deciding on which drink card to choose
One of the drinks made, and the card with the recipe.
Goodie Bags I brought from Hawaii for the guests...Hawaiian honey, beeswax candle in glass container, Hawaiian vanilla bean in glass tube, Hawaii grown and harvested allspice berries, and cloves. Sandra has a huge collection of drink stirrers, all from Cuba and Cuban nightclubs, and she made them available for the guests to take.
Sisters!
...and a good time was had by all!