Cooking Lesson #1063: Cubana 1930 Cocktail

…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar

How you doin’? My happy hour cocktail of the week is the Cubana 1930 Cocktail. It tastes like a vacation in Little Havana in Miami, Florida with origins all the way back to the 1930s. What was going on in the US in the ‘30s? Prohibition. On the other hand, liquor was running freely in Havana along with beautiful Latin women.
 
The origins of this cocktail may have come from Cuba’s most famous bar, El Floridita, known as writer Ernest Hemingway’s favorite haunt for over 20 years. Along with the long bar at Raffles in Singapore… it seems that old Ernie had lot of favorite haunts around the world.
 
The Cubana Cocktail is a 1930s Cuban classic made with aged golden rum, apricot liqueur or brandy, fresh pineapple juice (if available), lime juice, and simple syrup.
 
Prep time:  4 minutes
Yield:  1 cocktail
 
Ingredients 
1-1/2 ounces dark aged rum (I prefer Bacardi)
1/4 ounce apricot liqueur (or brandy)
1 ounce pineapple juice
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup (50/50)
Lime wheel, for garnish
 
Directions

1. In a cocktail shaker, shake all the ingredients (except the garnish) together with ice until well‑chilled around 20 to 30 seconds. Shake it like you mean it!
2. Double‑strain into a chilled coupe or a flute glass.
3. Garnish with a lime wheel.

ChefSecret:  I like to see a little white foam on top of this cocktail. This is best achieved with an egg white. If you feel more comfortable you can use a pasteurized egg white or a purchased cocktail foamy.    

Quip of the Day:  I asked my Cuban friend if he wanted a mojito. He said, “I’m all in for a mint condition!”
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