If you’re looking for Las Floriditas in downtown Mobile, you might not find it right away.
The first thing you’ll notice is the giant Moon Pie on top of the RSA Trustmark building, where you’ll find Las Floriditas in the basement. The second thing you’re bound to notice? Roosevelt “Rosie” Patterson.
At 6-foot-5, he sits in front of the entrance, surrounded by shelves of Ernest Hemingway books and memorabilia, and will greet you with a smile and a tip of his fedora. His presence is impossible to miss—and it’s the first hurdle for anyone hoping to enter the speakeasy, which, impressively, resides inside an old bank vault.
Rosie is a doorman, a storyteller, and the gatekeeper of Mobile’s Hemingway-inspired speakeasy. You’ll need the daily password, which is shared daily yet quietly on social media.
You’ll need to follow the dress code (no tank tops or flip flops). And most of all, you’ll need his approval to enter the full world of Las Floriditas.
Patterson’s path to this role was far from expected. Hailing from Prichard, Alabama, he began playing football in high school and earned a scholarship to the University of Alabama, where he played under legendary coach Gene Stallings.
He was a key contributor to Alabama’s 1992 National Championship team and later went on to play in the NFL. Even now, he stays close to Stallings, speaking to him often via phone and considers him a father figure.
But Patterson’s life off the field is just as impressive. At Las Floriditas, Patterson guides guests into a world inspired by Hemingway’s Havana. The bar itself is a tribute to El Floridita, the Cuban institution where Hemingway favored the daiquiri, and its menu and design reflect that heritage.
The speakeasy overflows with cuban favorites—their signature cocktail and guest favorite, “Las Floriditas,” is a must-try: a daiquiri with white rum, fresh key lime juice, maraschino liqueur, and turbinado sugar. Other favorites include the classic Cuba Libre, made with cane sugar, or La Bodeguita, their signature mojito. The food menu is pared down yet authentic, with standouts like The Hemingway, a hearty plate of well-seasoned mojo pork with mashed yucca, black beans, avocado and mojo onions.
Rosie isn’t just enforcing rules; he’s mentoring, too. He uses his own experiences to advise young people on college athletics, personal finance, and the importance of education. “I wasn’t a perfect man. I made mistakes,” his website bio reads. “But I created Rosie’s Foundation to used my mistakes to help steer other young men to a more productive lifestyle through motivational speaking and athletic mentorship.”
The story of Las Floriditas is closely tied to larger-than-life, Lost Generation writer Ernest Hemingway. El Floridita in Havana, originally opened in 1817 as Piña de Plata and renamed in 1914, became Hemingway’s afternoon retreat. Patrons bragged about the daiquiris; he asked for one with “less sugar and more rum,” and the Papa Doble—or Hemingway Daiquiri—was born. Phillip Greene, author of To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion, notes that Hemingway once claimed to down 17 of these daiquiris in one afternoon. “That’s a hell of a lot of daiquiri,” Greene writes.
Mobile’s Las Floriditas brings that tradition closer to home. Owner Bob Baumhower, a former NFL nose tackle turned restaurateur, spent time behind the bar at El Floridita in Havana to learn the proper techniques. He returned with recipes, methods, and respect for the craft. Patterson helps deliver that experience to every guest who walks through the hidden door.
With Rosie at the entrance, Havana vibes when you enter, and Cuban flavors on the plate, Las Floriditas offers a way to travel to the tropics for the night. And for Patterson, it’s a way to bring together his past life as a champion athlete, his love for community, and the keeper of a Hemingway-inspired secret in the heart of Mobile.
Las Floriditas is open Tuesday through Saturday, with happy hour running from 4 to 7 p.m. and all day Thursday, featuring specials on classic daiquiris, mojitos, and Cuba Libres. Because it’s a speakeasy, entry requires the daily password. Check their Instagram or Facebook each day for the secret phrase–and don’t forget to say hello to Rosie on your way in.
Courtesy of SoulGrown Alabama.
