Old Cuban Cocktail Recipe

Before you start

The Old Cuban is a modern classic created by Audrey Saunders in New York around 2001. Picture a mojito made with aged rum, given a couple of dashes of Angostura, served up instead of tall, and finished with a splash of dry champagne. It is richer than a mojito, with vanilla and spice from the rum, but the sparkling wine keeps it lively.

Mint handling matters. Lightly pressing the leaves in the shaker, then shaking with ice, gives fresh aroma without grassy bitterness. Fine-strain so no leaf scraps reach the glass. Add the champagne last, directly into the glass, so its bubbles are not knocked out in the shaker.

Ingredients

• 45 ml (1½ oz) aged rum — a lightly aged rum of around 5 to 8 years
• 22 ml (¾ oz) fresh lime juice
• 30 ml (1 oz) simple syrup (1:1)
• 6 to 8 fresh mint leaves — plus a small sprig to garnish
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 60 ml (2 oz) brut champagne or other dry sparkling wine — well chilled
• 1 cup (about 150 g) ice cubes — for shaking

Method

1. Chill a coupe in the freezer and keep the champagne on ice.
2. Put the mint leaves and simple syrup in the shaker. Press gently 3 or 4 times with the muddler, just enough to release aroma. Shredded, dark leaves mean you pressed too hard.
3. Add the rum, lime juice and bitters, then fill two-thirds with ice. Shake hard for 10 seconds.
4. Double-strain into the chilled coupe, leaving enough room at the top for the wine.
5. Top with the champagne, pouring gently so it does not foam over. Slap the mint sprig between your palms and float it on the surface.

Tips for success

• Pick soft, bright green mint leaves and skip the stems, which add bitterness.
• Choose a dry, brut sparkling wine. Sweeter styles push this already-syrupy drink toward dessert.
• Open a half bottle of sparkling wine if you only plan one or two drinks, so the rest is not wasted.

Substitutions

Champagne

Cava or crémant gives a nearly identical result for less money. Prosecco is fruitier and slightly sweeter.

Aged rum

A white rum makes it lighter and closer to a sparkling mojito. A rich demerara rum adds molasses.

Simple syrup

Use 22 ml of rich 2:1 syrup or demerara syrup for more body.

Troubleshooting

It tastes bitter and grassy

The mint was crushed too hard. Press gently and leave the stems out.

The champagne went flat

The wine was warm or the bottle had been open too long. Pour from a freshly opened, cold bottle.

Too sweet

Cut the syrup to 22 ml and make sure the sparkling wine is brut.

Storage

Serve immediately once topped with wine. Stopper leftover sparkling wine and refrigerate it; it stays reasonably fizzy for 1 to 2 days. Mint keeps best wrapped in a damp paper towel in the fridge for a few days.

Safety notes

Contains about 45 ml of 40% ABV rum plus 60 ml of champagne, roughly 1.4 U.S. standard drinks (one standard drink is about 14 g of pure alcohol). Serve only to adults of legal drinking age, and never drink and drive.