08:05 AM
Cuba’s Manhattan: El Presidente
When United States President Calvin Coolidge visited La Havana in 1928, his Cuban counterpart Gerardo Machado offered him an El Presidente cocktail. Coolidge, the story goes, didn’t even put his lips to the glass: his country was still in the midst of Prohibition. On that day, he was probably the only US citizen in town not busy getting drunk.
During the infamous dry years, Cuba became a destination of choice for American citizens yearning for a well-made cocktail. Bartenders from all over the United States made the small jump over the Straits of Florida to find (legal) work. Together with their Cuban colleagues, they created a vibrant cocktail scene, which gave birth to many classic drinks. The noblest of them all might very well be El Presidente. We’re not quite sure who created it. For a while, it was assumed to be the work of legendary bartender Eddie Woelke at the Jockey Club in La Havana. Other sources claim it was invented by an anonymous mixologist in Santiago de Cuba. Whoever the creator might have been, the drink was probably named in honour of Presidente Mario Garcia Menocal, Machado’s predecessor. The earliest printed mention of El Presidente dates from 1919, when Menocal held the highest office.
It is an unwritten rule that the history of every classic cocktail is as blurry as the imbiber’s memories. More often that not, the original recipe is equally as difficult to trace. Many contemporary cocktail books (and some of them, very good ones) list El Presidente as a mere variation of the Daiquiri. Obviously we love a good Daiquiri but our El Presidente is an entirely different beast. The most widely-circulated classic recipes list white rum, dry vermouth, orange curacao and grenadine as its ingredients. We like to think of it as Cuba’s Manhattan. Maybe more accurately, we can also describe it as a defining cocktail of its time: it looks a lot like a pre-prohibition drink but at the same time it has the attributes of a tropical classic, pre-dating the exotic craze that took over the United States after the repeal of the Volstead Act in 1933.
However, El Presidente doesn’t convince everyone. Famed cocktail historian David Wondrich could not quite get over the fact that he knew he had to love the drink but, for some reason, he was disappointed every time he made it. True to form, Wondrich took matters in his own hands and decided to investigate. His research led him to the oldest known recipe for El Presidente. Published in the Manuel del Cantinero (1924), it calls for Vermouth de Chambéry. Chambéry‘s producers made the traditional dry and sweet vermouths but are better known for their Vermouth Blanc, sweeter than the former but drier than the latter. Today, there is only one Chambéry brand left, but most Italian producers have a similar product, called Bianco. According to Wondrich’s research, around the time of El Presidente’s creation, Chambéry producers only exported their Blanc vermouth. So he decided to give it a go and try the recipe as per its oldest source. The result amazed him. And we agree: having tried both the dry vermouth and the blanc vermouth version side by side, the Chambéry vermouth makes for a rounder, more balanced cocktail.
The original El Presidente is made of equal parts of white rum and blanc vermouth, a barspoon of good quality curacao and half a barspoon (for colour more than taste) of grenadine. Stirred over ice, garnished with the peel of a lemon or a cocktail cherry. But if you’re real rum lovers – and we know you are –, we wholeheartedly recommend you try yet another version and make an El Presidente with Havana Club Seleccion de Maestros. It makes for a superlative drink.
• 6 cl Havana Club Seleccion de Maestros
• 3 cl Blanc (or Bianco) Vermouth
• 1 cl Curacao
• Half a barspoon grenadine
Stirred over ice, strained into a chilled cocktail glass, garnished with a lemon twistWhatever version you decide to prepare, we’re sure you will enjoy the experience. In David Wondrich’s words: « it’s a Cuban drink, it has to be delicate and subtle ». Now sit down, relax and enjoy some genuine Cuba n greatness. Salud !
During the infamous dry years, Cuba became a destination of choice for American citizens yearning for a well-made cocktail. Bartenders from all over the United States made the small jump over the Straits of Florida to find (legal) work. Together with their Cuban colleagues, they created a vibrant cocktail scene, which gave birth to many classic drinks. The noblest of them all might very well be El Presidente. We’re not quite sure who created it. For a while, it was assumed to be the work of legendary bartender Eddie Woelke at the Jockey Club in La Havana. Other sources claim it was invented by an anonymous mixologist in Santiago de Cuba. Whoever the creator might have been, the drink was probably named in honour of Presidente Mario Garcia Menocal, Machado’s predecessor. The earliest printed mention of El Presidente dates from 1919, when Menocal held the highest office.
It is an unwritten rule that the history of every classic cocktail is as blurry as the imbiber’s memories. More often that not, the original recipe is equally as difficult to trace. Many contemporary cocktail books (and some of them, very good ones) list El Presidente as a mere variation of the Daiquiri. Obviously we love a good Daiquiri but our El Presidente is an entirely different beast. The most widely-circulated classic recipes list white rum, dry vermouth, orange curacao and grenadine as its ingredients. We like to think of it as Cuba’s Manhattan. Maybe more accurately, we can also describe it as a defining cocktail of its time: it looks a lot like a pre-prohibition drink but at the same time it has the attributes of a tropical classic, pre-dating the exotic craze that took over the United States after the repeal of the Volstead Act in 1933.
However, El Presidente doesn’t convince everyone. Famed cocktail historian David Wondrich could not quite get over the fact that he knew he had to love the drink but, for some reason, he was disappointed every time he made it. True to form, Wondrich took matters in his own hands and decided to investigate. His research led him to the oldest known recipe for El Presidente. Published in the Manuel del Cantinero (1924), it calls for Vermouth de Chambéry. Chambéry‘s producers made the traditional dry and sweet vermouths but are better known for their Vermouth Blanc, sweeter than the former but drier than the latter. Today, there is only one Chambéry brand left, but most Italian producers have a similar product, called Bianco. According to Wondrich’s research, around the time of El Presidente’s creation, Chambéry producers only exported their Blanc vermouth. So he decided to give it a go and try the recipe as per its oldest source. The result amazed him. And we agree: having tried both the dry vermouth and the blanc vermouth version side by side, the Chambéry vermouth makes for a rounder, more balanced cocktail.
The original El Presidente is made of equal parts of white rum and blanc vermouth, a barspoon of good quality curacao and half a barspoon (for colour more than taste) of grenadine. Stirred over ice, garnished with the peel of a lemon or a cocktail cherry. But if you’re real rum lovers – and we know you are –, we wholeheartedly recommend you try yet another version and make an El Presidente with Havana Club Seleccion de Maestros. It makes for a superlative drink.
• 6 cl Havana Club Seleccion de Maestros
• 3 cl Blanc (or Bianco) Vermouth
• 1 cl Curacao
• Half a barspoon grenadine
Stirred over ice, strained into a chilled cocktail glass, garnished with a lemon twistWhatever version you decide to prepare, we’re sure you will enjoy the experience. In David Wondrich’s words: « it’s a Cuban drink, it has to be delicate and subtle ». Now sit down, relax and enjoy some genuine Cuba n greatness. Salud !
By François Monti
1 comment
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Tuesday, 03 April 2012 09:54:42
Do the articles on this page published can be found in Spanish in somewhere? I like much this on the President, and some others that are certainly interesting.
Sandro
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