El Presidente
El Presidente: Cuba's Classic Rum and Vermouth Cocktail
The earliest recipe, as printed in 1915, featured light white Cuban rum such as Bacardi Carta Blanca, French vermouth, and grenadine, stirred and strained with an orange twist garnish—without curaçao, which was later added in variations Grokipedia. The drink's earliest printed recipe appears in the 1915 Cuban bartending manual Manual del Cantinero by John B. Escalante Grokipedia.
There are two rival stories of who the cocktail is named after. One is Mario García Menocal, president from 1913 to 1921. The other is Gerardo Machado, who was a general and also president from 1925 to 1933 Wikipedia. One story is that it was American bartender Eddie Woelke, who named it after Gen. Menocal after moving to Havana Wikipedia.
The fact that the Presidente was a popular cocktail in Cuba by the late 1910s is supported by a 1919 article from the New York Evening Standard, which declares the Presidente a "favourite drink of the Cubans" Difford's Guide. The El Presidente earned its acclaim in Havana during the 1920s through the 1940s during the American Prohibition. It quickly became the preferred drink of the Cuban upper class Wikipedia.
RECIPE:
1½ oz white rum
¾ oz dry vermouth (or blanc vermouth)
¼ oz orange curaçao
1 barspoon grenadine
Orange twist for garnish
Method:
Add all ingredients to mixing glass with ice
Stir until well-chilled
Strain into chilled coupe glass
Garnish with orange twist