Old Cuban Cocktail |
You can think of this drink as a dressed up or fancy Mojito. It really is a fantastic drink. Sipping it, I imagine I'm at an old sugar plantation house on St. Kitt's looking out at a beautifully manicured lawn (or perhaps on a French island due to the Champagne).
Watch the amount of syrup that you use. I found 3/8 oz balanced well with brut Champagne. If you use a sweeter Champagne, you may want to reduce the syrup. If you don't have any mint handy you can use mint syrup as the sweetener (in a pinch).
The original recipe specifies Barcard 8 Year rum. I have found a Cuban profile rum works well here...if you have an aged Havana Club, go for it. Also 12 or 15 year Ron Matusalem works well.
An Old Cuban Cocktail has a color similar to Paulaner Hefe-Weizen beer--an orange hue. Little bits of mint will be floating in it, too. If you don't have a Champagne saucer, a tulip or small wine glass will work. This drink was invented by Audrey Saunders, a student of Dale DeGroff. Audrey opened the Pegu Club in New York City in 2005.