Try The Old Cuban from ‘The Craft Cocktail Party’ on NYE
This week, we’re spotlighting recipes from The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious Drinks for Every Occasion by Julie Reiner (Grand Central Life & Style), co-owner of Brooklyn’s Clover Club and Manhattan’s Flatiron Lounge. Try making the recipe at home and let us know what you think!
Photo: Daniel Krieger
By Julie Reiner
The Old Cuban
Makes 1 drink
This is by far the most popular New Year’s cocktail I have served in my bars. It was created by Audrey Saunders of Pegu Club back in 2000, and was conceived as a Champagne Mojito. The addition of aged rum and Angostura bitters gives it those holiday spice notes we expect from our winter cocktails, while the Champagne keeps it festive. The Old Cuban is elegant and sophisticated, perfect for any special occasion.
6 mint leaves
3⁄4 ounce lime juice
1 ounce simple syrup (see below)
11⁄2 ounces aged rum (Audrey recommends Bacardi 8)
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 ounces Champagne
1 mint leaf, for garnish
In the bottom of a shaker, gently muddle the 6 mint leaves with the lime juice and the simple syrup. Add the rum and bitters and fill the glass with ice. Shake well until chilled and double-strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large coupe or a Martini glass. Top with the Champagne, and lay the remaining mint leaf on the surface of the drink.
Simple Syrup
This bar staple is a must for making balanced cocktails. Very plainly, we use simple syrup to introduce sugar to a cocktail in a form that is already dissolved. The basic (simple) ratio is equal parts granulated sugar and water. I make simple syrup in a batch of one cup sugar to one cup water at home. It keeps in the refrigerator for up to a month, but you’ll likely go through a batch in way less time.
Reprinted with permission from The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious Drinks for Every Occasion by Julie Reiner (Grand Central Life & Style).
More cocktails to make at home:
El Presidente from ‘Cuban Cocktails’
The Ultimate Bourbon Cocktail You’ve Never Heard of
