Lime, Sugar, White Rum

Tart, Light, Refreshing.

Although its origin is disputed by historians, the Daiquiri remains one of the most iconic and classic cocktails. Invented in Cuba at the turn of the 20th Century, the Daiquiri highlights the beautiful marriage between rum, lime and sugar. At Café Havanna we use Havana Club 3 Años, a lightly aged white rum.

Most agree that the Daiquiri was invented by Jennings Stockton Cox while he was working in the small town of Daiquiri. Equipped with only rum, lemon and sugar he created a well-shaken and very cold cocktail. When asked what it would be called he replied: "Rum Sour", referencing the resemblance to the Whiskey Sour. His friend told him: "This name is too long, why not call it a Daiquiri?"

Lime, Sugar, Mint, White Rum, Soda Water

Refreshing, Citrusy, Minty, Fizzy

Another iconic Cuban cocktail that has a disputed origin. The most acknowledged beginning is said to be Captain Drake and his band of privateers. He carried aguardiente (forerunner of rum), sugar, lime and mint on the boat, making a remedy to relieve fever and colds. The Draque remained the same until Don Facundo Bacardi Massó established the Bacardi Company. The aguardiente was replaced with rum and the Draque became the Mojito.

It might though be as easy as Americans visiting Cuba during Prohibition and introducing the Mint Julep to the locals that led to the Mojito. Whichever truth to the origin story, it remains one of the most popular cocktails in the world.

Lime, Sugar, Cachaça

Tart, Sweet, Refreshing

Cachaça is the spirit of Brazil and thus Caipirinha is the cocktail of the Brazilian people. As many other cocktails, its history lays in medicine as the mix of citrus and spirit helped sailors ward against scurvy or as another version recounts, against the Spanish flu.

Caipirinha translates as "country little girl", and the main ingredient, Cachaça would most often come from Piracicaba in the countryside of São Paulo.

Lime, Grenadine, Dark Rum, Soda Water

Tart, Tropical, Refreshing

Planter's Punch varies throughout history and time but can in its simplest form be described as a mixture of rum, citrus, sugar and spice. The cocktail is meant to convey the warm Caribbean climate and its sandy beaches. Since there isn't one right way to make it, we've opted for a fruitier version, with the addition of Grenadine.

Lime, Orgeat, Rum Blend*, Triple Sec, Angostura Bitters

*(Havana Club 7 Años, El Dorado 8, Planteray Xaymaca Dry)

Sweet, Sour, Fruity, Vibrant, Nutty

While there are countless variants to this famous cocktail, some with coconut and others with pineapple, we go for the classic version created by Victor Jules Bergeron, or Trader Vic as he became known.

One evening in 1944, he tested a new cocktail on two friends, where as one of them cried out "mai tai-roa aé", which in Tahitian means "out of the world - the best!"

Lime, Coco Lopez, Pineapple, Havana Club 3 Años, Creme de Cacao White

Sour, Sweet, Creamy, Fruity, Smooth

This is Adrian's riff on the world famous classic cocktail. Adding some more lime, and swapping part of the rum measure for white chocolate liqueur, this rendition is a little more fresh and smoother with its chocolatey after-taste.

A old-fashioned

Juuungle Turds

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buddy muddy

Jungle Juice

Lime, Strawberry, Mint, Mandarin Gin, Dark Rum, Vermouth

Lime, Grapefruit, Sugar, Havana Club 3 Años, Maraschino Liqueur

Tart, Subtly Sweet, Fruity, Floral

Affectionately known as "Papa" in Cuba, Ernest Hemingway used to enjoy the "Daiquiri Like Papa" at El Floridita. "Papa Doble" as it later was called came to fruition after Hemingway tried El Floridita's standard frozen Daiquiri and said "That's good but I prefer it without sugar and with double rum".

It came to be the Hemingway Special until years later when the new Head Bartender at El Floridita added maraschino and grapefruit juice into the drink.

Lime, Sugar, Pineapple, Havana Club 3 Años, Abricot Brandy

Tart, Fresh, Tropical, Crowd-Pleasing

Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, Mickey Mantle, Ernest Hemingway, and Rocky Marciano all stayed at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba in the 1930s. At this grand bastion for well-off American travelers, seeking cocktails during prohibition, the Hotel Nacional Special was created to be the their house cocktail.

Lime, Sugar, Mint, Havana Club 7 Años, Angostura Bitters, Cava

Refreshing, Herbal, Minty, Luxurious

What if a Mojito and a French 75 had a lovechild?

Grenadine, Havana Club 7 Años, Sweet Vermouth, Angostura Bitters

Delicate, Sweet, Boozy, Fruity

The El Presidente can be described as the cuban answer to the Manhattan. Credited to Constantino Ribalaigua while being the head bartender at a little café just off the Parque Central in Havana this true and authentic cuban cocktail has been described to be "the aristocrat of cocktails and is the one preferred by the better class of Cuban". At Havanna we stray away from the classic recipe which would opt for Triple Sec and Dry Vermouth and instead we make it more rum-forward. This way, the El Presidente is great for those moments when rum sounds best left to rum.

OljaMajs

coffee

I am a potato.

floppy