I have a thing for Cuba. I’ve never been but I find the idea utterly seductive. With crumbling, colourful, colonial streets, vintage American cars and a ruling communist party, it looks fascinating. Throw in its cocktail heritage and I often daydream about sitting in a ramshackle rum shack with a Daiquiri wearing a linen suit and listening to Buena Vista Social Club.  

Two of my favourite cocktails are Cuban. The legendary Daiquiri, and the lesser known El Presidente. There are conflicting stories as to the origin of this cocktail- a common occurrence with classic cocktails is that the provenance is often difficult to prove. Some claim the cocktail is named in honour of Mario García Menocal, President from 1913-1921 and others claim it’s named after Gerardo Machado, who was President from 1925-1933. The first recorded mention of this cocktail is in the 1915 bartending manual called Manual de Cantinero by John Escalante. If this is correct, it was most likely named after President Menocal. 

The cocktail first became popular during the 1920’s when many Americans made the short trip to pre-revolutionary Cuba to escape Prohibition. It was imported back Stateside when Prohibition was abolished only to fall out of favour during the middle of the century- a fate shared by many classic cocktails. The cocktail renaissance though, led to the rediscovery of this long-forgotten classic, much to my delight. 

The following is my take on a variation of the original recipe, created by Julio Cabrera. It is light, delicate and delicious. It puts paid to the ridiculous notion that rum cocktails cannot be elegant. 

Prep time: 2 minutes 

Tools: Mixing glass, barspoon, jigger, julep strainer and a coupe glass 

Ingredients: 

• 45ml/1.5oz Havana Club Añejo Especial Gold Rum*- I like Cuban rum for a Cuban drink

• 22.5ml/0.75oz Dolin Vermouth Blanc (Blanc not Dry Vermouth- This is very important)

• 15ml/0.5oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao 

• Grenadine syrup 

• An orange 

• Ice

*For my American based readers- Due to the trade embargo placed upon Cuba by the U.S Government, Cuban rum isn’t legally available in America. Mount Gay Eclipse is an affordable, acceptable alternative. Julio Cabrera’s original recipe calls for Banks 7 rum. 

Steps: 

Add the rum, vermouth, dry Curaçao and a barspoon of Grenadine into the mixing glass and fill just over halfway with ice. Stir for around 20 seconds until the cocktail is chilled and sufficiently diluted then strain into a chilled coupe glass.

Cut an orange zest and express (squeeze) the oils over the cocktail. Don’t forget to rub it around the rim of the glass and the stem. You can also garnish with a cherry although I don’t. Then Sip and enjoy!

Let me know what you thought of the recipe below.

Cheers,
Terry