The mojito meets the champagne cocktail in the Old Cuban, an easy cocktail to make at home when friends drop in.
Old Cuban Cocktail Recipe – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
Considered a modern classic, the Old Cuban cocktail was created by Audrey Saunders of Pegu Club in New York in the early noughties. The refreshing mix of aged rum, fresh lime juice and simple syrup is topped up with Champagne which adds effervescence and lifts the flavours.
A sparkling summer drink, the Champagne adds a celebratory note while upgrading the mojito base. In this recipe, we used an aged Cuban rum with simple syrup in a 1:1 ratio, and topped it with a splash of Brut Champagne to play down the sweetness. You can also use a dry style of Prosecco or sparkling white wine.
Refreshing yet big on flavour, the Old Cuban makes an elegant sundowner sipped on hot summer days or if you’re after a sparkling cocktail that doesn’t water down the flavour of the rum.
Old Cuban Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 45 ml aged rum, preferably Cuban
- 20 ml simple syrup
- 20 ml fresh lime juice
- 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
- 6 mint leaves
- champagne to top
Glassware: coupette
Garnish: mint leaf
Method
In a cocktail shaker, gently muddle the mint with simple syrup and lime juice. Add rum, bitters, ice and shake vigorously until cold. Double strain into a chilled coupette. Top with champagne or sparkling wine and garnish with a mint leaf.
Originally published 21 November 2016. Updated 16 August 2019.
