Old Cuban

Audrey Saunders’s Old Cuban combines aged rum, lime and mint with a Champagne finish. The rum supplies depth, while the sparkling wine changes the texture of the final drink. It belongs in a stemmed glass, with the ice left behind in the shaker.

The sequence matters: mix and chill the rum base first, then add the Champagne in the serving glass. Shaking the wine would waste its bubbles. Have the garnish and chilled glass ready before opening the bottle, and give the mint a gentle press rather than grinding it into a paste.

Ingredients

Makes one cocktail.

• 1 1/2 oz aged rum (the source specifies Bacardí 8)
• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 6 fresh mint leaves
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 oz Champagne
• Mint sprig, for garnish

Method

1. Gently press the mint leaves with the lime juice and syrup in a shaker.
2. Add the rum, bitters and ice. Shake until cold.
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, leaving the mint and ice behind. Add Champagne and finish with a mint sprig.

Recipe credit: Created by Audrey Saunders; recipe proportions from Punch’s adaptation of Robert Simonson’s A Proper Drink. Read the recipe at Punch.

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