Saturday Happy Hour — The El Presidente

New president, old drink.

If you want a thematically appropriate cocktail for inauguration week, it’s hard to think of something better than the El Presidente, a century-old Cuban classic that combines rum, vermouth, and orange curaçao with a bit of grenadine.

Proportions vary considerably from recipe to recipe, but I prefer a 2:1:1 rum:vermouth:curaçao ratio, plus the tiniest hint of grenadine.

Some specs for this century-old Cuban concoction call for dry vermouth, but even using freshly opened, quality versions of the stuff, I find dry vermouth renditions entirely too sharp. Still, you don’t want to exaggerate the sweetness here, which is why I turn to the semi-sweet, light-colored Dolin Blanc vermouth instead. 

If you like a slightly drier drink, try using Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, but I think it benefits from the slightly rounder, milder orange flavor of Cointreau. If you happen to have a bottle, Combier will work nicely too.

As for the rum, the original recipe calls for something light: Try Plantation 3 Stars if you can find it, or Caña Brava. But if you have limited options, you could make something more widely available like Bacardi Superior work too.

Finally, there’s the grenadine: Ideally, you should make your own (I’ll explain how in a future edition), but since the portion is so small, you can probably get away with using a store-bought version. Don’t have grenadine? In a pinch, you can substitute Luxardo Maraschino liqueur. It won’t provide the same flavor, but it does add a lightly fruity sweet note that can fill in as an acceptable substitute.

El Presidente

• 1/2 barspoon grenadine 

• ¾ ounce Dolin Blanc Vermouth

• ¾ ounce Cointreau 

• 1 ½ ounce light rum, such as Plantation 3 Stars 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in mixing glass.

2. Add ice, stir until thoroughly chilled. 

3. Strain into a coupe or Nick & Nora glass. 

4. Garnish with an orange peel.