As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make a glass or two on us, you deserve it.
WHAT
Bar 888’s Winter’s Whimsy
Even though Bar 888 calls San Francisco its home, the grappa hotspot still knows a thing or two about quality holiday cocktails. The proof is in its Winter’s Whimsy, a minty and refreshing treat that makes a perfect party companion.
HOW
Ingredients:
4 oz. Eggnog
1.5 oz. Sibona Grappa
0.5 oz. Domaine de Canton Liqueur
2 bags Peppermint tea
Fresh Mint
Image: ESSENTIAL HOMME,, Bolthouse Farms, Sibona, Twinings, and Domaine de Canton.
THEN
Steep peppermint tea in grappa. Then combine grappa, ginger liquor, and eggnog and shake. Strain into martini coupe and froth mixture before garnishing with fresh mint.
As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make a glass or two on us, you deserve it.
WHAT
Veuve Clicquot’s Nearside In preparations to give the finger to 2014 welcome the new year, we’ve turned to the experts from the world of cocktails to find out what we should be drinking to properly toast the night away. A celebratory cocktail in itself—this drink was first introduced at the Standard, High Line a few years ago to celebrate Veuve Clicquot‘s 2010 polo classic—this bubbly beverage is the perfect morning cure to segue the party into citrusy lightness after a rowdy night of shots and ringing in 2015.
Image: Essential Homme, Cheutine Fong courtesy of Bar Marmont.
As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make a glass or two on us, you deserve it.
WHAT
Bar Marmont’s Billie Holiday In preparations to give the finger to 2014 welcome the new year, we’ve turned to the experts from the world of cocktails to find out what we should be drinking to properly toast the night away. First up is mixologist Lauren Kincheloe from Bar Marmont in the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, whose Billie Holiday—a beautiful mix of stiff warmth and light bubbly—will certainly leave you with some happy last minute end of the year memories.
HOW
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz. Wild Turkey Rye
3/4 oz. Grand Marnier
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
Splash of fresh orange juice
Shaved nutmeg (optional)
2 oz. Champagne
Image: Essential Homme, Wild Turkey, Grand Mariner, Why’d You Eat That, Deborah Baker, Simply Orange, Veuve Clicquot.
THEN
Combine Wild Turkey with orange juice, Grand Mariner, and lemon juice in a shaker. Mix and pour over the Champagne. Garnish the cocktail with an optional orange slice dipped in sugar and nutmeg.
Sean Kenyon recently won Nightclub and Bar Awards Bartender of the Year 2014.
The trend in high proof spirits began about two years ago when the NY Times first reported, “High-alcohol spirits — variously sailing under the terms overproof, cask-strength and barrel-strength — are becoming commonplace.” Since then, the tick has continued to surge up up up, thanks no doubt to Hollywood’s renewed (and ever-vacillating) fascination with bygone eras (Mad Men, The Great Gatsby, Boardwalk Empire). This past February, Maryland lawmakers voted to forbid the sale of grain alcohol that’s at least 190-proof (the bill now moves to the House of Delegates — fun stuff). But people are just people; we want what we want, and we want our high proof spirits.
“The General Consumer is getting better educated on spirits and recognizes more now than they did 12 years ago that flavored cocktails like apple martinis are a joke, where as a Rye Old Fashioned is not only appropriate, but if you’re a real man (or woman), also delicious,” says bartender and Creative Director Steve Yorsz from Rochelle’s Bar in New York.
According to bartender/restauranteur Sean Kenyon, the increased interest in high proofing also directly coincides with the return to prominence of the classic cocktail. “Today’s conscientious bartenders are looking to authentically recreate the classics and most of the 19th century era recipes call for high proof spirits.”
So which is the highest growing spirit of the bunch? North American whiskey, the second-largest spirit category in the US, represents 23% of sales and is growing at nearly twice the rate of the total spirits category. Cutty Sark whisky is one of the labels abetting trends by introducing Prohibition Edition, a nod to the brand’s origins dating back to the 1920’s. Here’s what you ought to be stirring up:
The Glasgow Dagger
2 oz. Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition
0.5 oz. Lustau Amontillado Sherry
0.5 oz. Lustau Pedro Ximenex Sherry
2 dashes Angostura Bitters In a mixing glass, stir all of the ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with orange zest.
Happy National Vodka Day! Iceland’s very own Reyka Vodka wants to ensure you celebrate this very important holiday in delicious style with some homemade cocktail recipes. It takes about six hours to produce a small batch of only 1,000 litres of Reyka, using one of only six Carter Head Stills available in the world. The vodka is then filtered through lava rocks, yes, actuallava rocks, and analyzed to ensure it has retained the highest of high quality.
That guy up above is the REYKA CHERRY GIMLET and here’s how you’re going to make it:
2/3 part Reyka Vodka
3/4 part Simple Syrup
1 part Lime Juice
3 Cherries
Reyka brand ambassador, Daniel Brancusi suggests combining ingredients and muddling the cherries to really bring out the flavor in the cocktail. Garnish with a cherry on the rim of the glass.
Here we’ve got the REYKA NEW MAID and here’s how you’re going to make it:
1 Part Reyka Vodka
1 1/2 Parts Tonic or Soda (Reyka Brand Ambassador, Daniel Brancusi recommends mixing half soda and half tonic for a very unique type of cocktail)
1/2 Part Lime Juice
Pour Reyka over ice and add Tonic/Soda. Garnish with cucumber and basil.
It’s almost September 29th, and you know what that means: It’s almost National Coffee Day. We wanted to find the perfect coffee cocktail to help make this year’s National Coffee Day truly one for the books.
Put in a tumbler ice cubes and 4 cl Sambuca or vodka: serve together with a can of illy issimo coffee drink. That’s it!
So just what is this illy issimo that you’re sipping from a bottle? Well, coffee, sure, yeah, but it’s taking the legendary illy blend you love waking up to in the morning and making it available in convenient on-the-go bottles. It’s keenly available in flavors like Caffe, Caffe No Sugar, Latte Macchiato, Mochaccino, and Cappuccino. For more info, or more recipes, or just to gawk longingly at pictures of coffee, visit their website: www.illyissimo.com.
Ah rum. It’s the official drink of tropical beaches, summer, August 16th (National Rum Day), and, we’re pretty sure, pirates…though by no means must any of these three things be in your life to enjoy a stiff glass of the stuff. With that in mind, we’re turning your attention to the latest release from one of the oldest and most well respected rum distilleries in the world—Mount Gay Rum. Called Mount Gay Black Barrel, it blurs the lines of your regularly scheduled use of rum; it makes a fine pairing with the expected things like coke, ginger beer and of course a Daiquiri, but its smooth and silky formulation bestows upon it characteristics perfect for the creative, bar-tender that lives within.
Black Barrel is so refined that it can be paired with complex flavors not common to other rums like cucumber, lemon, vermouth and grapes or nothing at all; the blend stands neatly on it’s on, so no need to add a mixer to make it taste delicious. This we know because we were lucky enough to spend some time playing around with Black Barrel in Barbados, the ancestral home or rum, and of course beautiful women like Rihanna.
It is no co-inky-dink that Mount Gay is made in Barbados, using 100% Barbadian ingredients, because Mount Gay is, officially, the “rum that invented rum.” And they’re still making their award winning blends in the distillery the company was founded in 1703. When they feel confident enough to release a new blend, its something worth heading to the source to learn about. Not that anyone twisted our arms to go play with rum in Barbados, but none the less, it happened. And we were much impressed.
Particularly, it was surprising to learn the relationship between the quality of rum and the physical landscape of Barbados. Without getting all Planet Earth on you, Barbados is an anomaly as far as Caribbean (or West Indian) islands are concerned. It’s the only one that’s land surface is made up of coral limestone, which is basically the Earth’s all-natural way to filter water. You’ll find ancient once underwater caves littered, above ground, around the island; the most famous and main source of water for Mount Gay is Harrison’s Cave. You can actually visit the cool subterranean spot in a quirky half-day trip that involves a tram car, a kitschy film and a little museum. But, yes, all Mount Gay rum uses pure coral limestone distilled cave water. No machines, Brita or BS. We find that to be, well, chic—naturally.
The sugar cane that goes into the rum is also grown on farms in Barbados. Maybe you’ve heard speak of rum made from molasses. it’s a popular way to do things these days, but by no means is it the right or better ingredient in making Rum. Molasses is a processed byproduct of pure sugar and produces a fruiter taste. Using pure sugar cane results in a more natural, earthy flavored sip. They’re both fine, but sugar cane results in a purer, more historically accurate flavor; one that we feel safe in calling, “sophisticated.”
With all this in mind, once the sugar cane is distilled for Black Barrel, it gets aged in charred bourbon oak barrels. For how long is anyone’s guess. Mount Gay Master Blender (who is also a biochemist and microbiologist) Allen Smith just feels it out. “It’s ready when it’s ready,” he is fond of saying when anyone asks him the secret. Finally, it gets blended with a younger distillation of Mount Gay rum, resulting in Black Barrel. The result is a refined blend that gives it an unusual mix of Vodka’s versatility and Bourbon’s brawn. Here’s a rum that’s great for summer, but also carries through to the cooler months.
Anytime of year, few things make life more perfect than sipping a Black Barrel concoction from your beach side perch in Barbados, but since you can’t always make that happen, we’ve got a few recipes direct from Mount Gay’s chief mixologists.
Black and Ginger
—2 oz. Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum
—Q Ginger: A superior ginger ale
—Fresh lime wedge
—Angostura Bitters
Pour Mount Gay Black Barrel into a rocks glass with ice (good quality cubes), top with and Q
If you cannot source Q Ginger Ale for Black & Ginger, try this:
Mount Gay Black Barrel “Black & Stormy”
—1 ½ parts Mount Gay Black Barrel
—1 part freshly squeeze lime juice
—1 part simple syrup
—1 part fresh ginger juice (blend clean ginger root with the same amount of water. Strain it through a cheese cloth)
—Top up with good quality ginger beer
—Serve over ice in a 12 oz highball glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
The Perfect Mount Gay Manhattan
—2 oz Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum
—1/2 oz of sweet vermouth
—1/2 oz of dry vermouth
—2 dashes of bitters
Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled rocks glass (no ice). Garnish with a twist of lemon.
Red Bird
—1.5 oz. Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum
—1 oz. Cointreau
—.75 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
—.50 oz. Campari
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Black Barrel Shady Lane
—3/4 oz Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum
—1/2 oz Cointreau
—7 dashes Angustura Bitters
—7 dashes Peuchaud’s Bitters
—4 oz Brut Champagne
Stir all ingredients but the bubbly with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Top with Champagne. Garnish with an orange twist.
If your day dreams include waking up in plush bedding, opening up French doors on to a patio overlooking a pristine white sandy beach, turquoise water and relaxing, look no further. Centrally located in the posh parish of Saint James, you’re close enough to town, but far enough away to make for a pure escape.
If Pirates of the Caribbean shipwrecked in to the Caribbean getaway of Damien Hirst, it would be this restaurant that’s really the most elegant tree house we’ve ever sat in. Seafood and modern Barbadian dishes delight just as much as the colorful array of cocktails.
See
Colleton Plantation House
Here’s where you can see one of the largest collections of African men and women in western art. It has only been open to the public for a few years
“What are you drinking this summer?” That’s what we asked fourteen of our favorite influencers from out, about, and beyond. From hitboy Jason DeRulo, to Parks and Recreation’s Retta, to taste jockey’s AndrewAndrew, we uncovered a bevy of cocktails just in time for your 4th of July weekend. Cheers to that.
“White wine sangria. Of course it reminds me of my summers in the south of Spain. Not many people can make it the way I do since it is all about the wine you use. One of my secrets is that I use the Barbadillo wine from Cadiz. This is not a drink to have indoors.”
“I'm not drinking! I had a jalapeno-infused lemonade with vodka last summer on Fire Island that I liked and that could possibly persuade me back to the dark side, though.”
“Anything to do with whiskey! I like to get creative with my jameson cocktails... "Beg borrow and steal" would be my title because I really just use anything I can find, I'll even put it in a yummy iced pineapple smoothie with a cherry on top.”
"My favorite drink is beer, it's a no nonsense summer essential. So in order to honor beer's rich history I started brewing my own. This summer's next batch is all about clear, cold, and golden. Cheers!"
"We love entertaining but as working DJs we rarely have guests over before 4:00 am. A few late nights ago Andrew accidentally began to replenish a guests Champagne with Gin, not wanting to waste Andrew graciously imbibed the concoction himself, and loved it. Now The French 50, two thirds of a French 75, is the signature cocktail of our late night soirees."
"I'm not much of a day drinker, as too much fun in the sun can knock me out. But in the early evening, I like to head to Catch in the Meatpacking District for my favorite cocktail, simply titled ‘Zeus’. Absolut Vodka, with peppercorn syrup, lemon and mint - all around delicious. The 1st time I tried it, I wound up having 6 of them. I wound up texting my sister (Faye), Instead of girl of the Moment (Faith), telling her to meet me for a nightcap. Needless to say, I know cap off my Olympic-size libations at two.”
“Summers for me are spent out east at a beach cottage on Towd Point in South Hampton. The spot has a ton of character and the best part is the back porch which overlooks North Sea Harbor and the wildlife refuge. Evening cocktails there with friends are a given- I like to keep the drinks I'm pouring simple and let the amazing sunset views provide the splash. Don Julio Blanco Tequila and Soda with a wedge of fresh lemon and lime-light and refreshing its the perfect start to warm summer nights.”
“I am partial to a peachy drink. Peach drinks make me feel like I'm on vacation. So normally I order a peach martini or some variation of but RECENTLY my friend Laura made me a peach martini-esque drink with vodka (Peach Ciroc, preferably), fresh squeezed oranges and PEACH SORBET! It was divine! We had some last night in their kitchen before dinner and it was like I was on vacation with friends.”
Brothers Mueller
Art Directors, Lead Developers and Principals at Studio Mercury
“Our summer cocktail is the Colonial Collins. For us it invokes sweet memories of London and the handsome Italian bartender at the Connaught bar who came to our aid after a long day of house museums.”
50 ml coconut soda
40 ml gin (sipsmith)
20 lemon juice
25ml rhubarb sherbet
Stir all the ingredients in a. Mixing glass filled with ice. Pour into a highball glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish with dried coconut flakes and cute of rhubarb stick.
“My favorite drink of the summer is a classic margarita, the ideal summer drink- on the rocks with salt and always with Cointreau. Never with triple sec! Since I spend most of my time at various venues DJing, I especially enjoy a margarita while I'm working at outdoor venues such as The Beach at the Dream Downtown or the PH-D rooftop parties. It always makes it feel like I've escaped to the beach, even if that beach party is in the city!”
“My go to drink for summer is a simple concoction of Campari, soda water, grapefruit juice and a touch of fresh squeezed lime juice. I make it all of the time at home, and order it often when I am out. It's the perfect drink for summer because it is refreshing, thirst quenching, and low in alcohol. You can start with one for breakfast and drink it all day and night. I had a similar cocktail - with the addition of gin - on our menu at Marble Lane when we opened; it was called the Cloud Nine. Using gin makes it a more serious cocktail and not one for simple poolside imbibing.”
"My favorite drink of the summer is probably the Mint Julep. I really enjoy a good bourbon year round but when the hotter months hit it's nice to mix it into something a bit more refreshing. Mint and simple syrup seem to just make everything taste better anyway. I'll make them by myself occasionally, but I like to leave it to the professionals usually. Whenever I'm down at our store in SoHo I like to stop over at Kitchen (in the James Hotel). They always make a great drink and there's an awesome rooftop bar there that overlooks all of downtown."
“Watermelon martini......refreshing and light....and always makes me giggle a bit as it reminds me of The night I first met Quentin Tarantino....His two blonde dates were crushing the melon garnishes on their ‘melon’ and the look on his face was priceless..... it was and still is hilarious.”
"No matter what season it is, I have only one drink. Greyhounds. Vodka, grapefruit, and some lemon. It's become my signature drink and I even got my dad into them."
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bar manager at Clyde Common, in Portland, Photo by David Reamer
Fine whiskey just gets better with age. And the same can now be said about cocktails as the latest trend of barrel aged cocktails is sweeping the nation. Bar menus from New York to San Francisco are being filled with aged cocktails like the Negroni, Manhattan and other classics drinks that will come out the barrel with a richer flavor and deeper notes after a six week wait.
So how did this trend happen to come about? It all started with Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bar manager at Clyde Common, in Portland. While in London, his visited 69 Colebrook Row where famed mixologist Tony Conigliaro was slinging vintage Manhattans that he aged by the glass to thirsty drinkers. Morgenthaler took this procedure up a notch by batching larger quantity of a single cocktail to be aged in used oak barrels instead by glass. While waiting during the aging process, Morgenthaler couldn’t help but wonder if the outcome of his experiment would be favorable.
“I was thinking I hope I don’t fuck this up, my boss is going to kill me if I do,” he said.
Six weeks later, all his worries were put to rest as the first batch of his aged Negroni was a success and he posted his glorious results on his cocktail blog, Jeffrey Morgenthaler (jeffreymorgenthaler.com), for all the world to see. And the rest was cocktail history. Even two years later, the popularity of this trend has continue to grow as more and more of his fellow bartenders are following in his lead and he can’t help but feel a little proud.
“I think it’s awesome, Morgenthaler. Who wouldn’t want their idea picked up in bars all over the world? It’s very flattering and humbling all at the same time.”
Bars aren’t the only place that this technique can be done in as it can easily be done at home just as well. All one need to do is buy a used barrel (Tuthilltown Spirits sells them online), whip up the cocktail of their choice and a whole lot of patience. And that perseverance will be rewarded with a tantalizing concoction made by your own hands that will be sipped and savored.
It seems like just only yesterday that the only flavor vodkas that were on the market were mandarin orange and lemon. Today, the liquor market is being oversaturated with flavored vodka as spirit companies have release a range of flavors like cake, peanut butter, bacon, chocolate and the list goes on. In fact, it’s one of the current alcohol trend that here to stay whether people like it or not. Here’s a roundup of some of the newest flavored vodkas to add some flavor to Summer’s end.
CIROC Peach
Peaches are a popular fruit, so it’s a no wonder Ciroc decided to create peach flavor vodka to add to its portfolio. This ultra-premium vodka is distilled from fine French grapes grown in and infused with natural fruit flavors. Not only does Ciroc Peach has a peachy aroma, but it also delivers a luscious peach flavor with a velvety finish that Diddy is proud to have his name attached to the brand.
Stoli Salted Karamel
Being one of the first spirit brands to introduce flavored vodka to the world, Stoli continues to be a pioneer with its creation of Stoli Salted Karamel, the first salted caramel flavored vodka. Part of the brand’s new line of indulgent flavors, this candy inspired vodka offers a perfect balance of sweet and savory due to the caramelized sugar and soft English toffee as well as the light saltiness that draws out the creamy caramel taste. It has such a smooth finish that it’s perfect on the rocks or in a variety of mixed drinks.
Punzoné Originale and Lemoncino
Crafted from organic wheat grown in northwest Italy, Punzoné is a newly launched organic ultra-premium vodka line produced by one of the world’s leading wine specialists, Cantine Sgarzi Luigi, who decided to branch out into the spirit world. In its quest to break into the spirits sphere, they created three remarkably products, two which are flavored vodka. One is the Punzoné Originale, a red sangria and blood orange infused vodka. While the other flavor takes inspiration from the classic Italian liqueur, Lemoncino, made with vodka, white sangria and lemons.
Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka
Everyone loves to eat chocolate and now they can drink it in their cocktail as well since Godiva decided to broaden its horizons by adding Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka to its repertoire. Distilled five-time and then mixed with this renowned chocolate has created a distinguishing spirit with a smooth sumptuous taste. It’s one brand that chocolate lovers around the country wouldn’t mind having on the rocks or in the ultimate Chocolate Martini.
Vikingfjord Vodka Chocolate Raspberry
This Norwegian vodka brand combined a decadent treat of chocolate and raspberry to created Vikingfjord Chocolate Raspberry Vodka. Blended together with raspberry, dark chocolate and vanilla bitterness, it becomes smooth infused vodka with a luxurious taste that that bodes well in cocktails.
Heartbreaker
Created by Los Angeles Mixologist, Kylee Van Dillen
– 2 ounces Godiva Chocolate Vodka
– 1/3 ounce fresh lemon juice
Spicy sugar*
– Fresh red jalapeño chili pepper *To create Spicy Sugar: Ingredients:
2 parts sugar
1/2 part powdered red chili pepper
1/4 part cayenne pepper Preparation:
1. Mix sugar, powdered red chili pepper and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
Preparation:
1. Muddle one thick slice of red jalapeño chili pepper in a pint glass.
2. Add Godiva Chocolate Vodka and fresh lemon juice into pint glass. Shake well.
3. Double fine strain contents into a rocks glass rimmed with spicy sugared rim.
A great party often has someone who seems to get along with everyone, has fun, and helps really set the tone for the evening. Denizen is that in a rum. Made from a blend of charcoal filtered aged rum from Trinidad and funky pot still distilled rum from Jamaica, Denizen Rum is flavorful and affable with superb character.
Jamaican rum is prized for its intense flavor and deep charred sugar notes. In the Denizen Rum blend, the essence of these flavors is captured but made much more accessible with the easy going and light rum from Trinidad. Denizen is blended in Amsterdam, which is a key locale for the rum trade and is home to some legendary rum blenders.
The nose on Denizen Rum is light and clean, with soft sugar cane notes along with hints of tropical fruit including banana. There are no vapors in the nose and it’s sly in its subtlety. The entry is packed with flavor including pineapple, banana, fresh sugar cane, and toasted marshmallow. The flavors here are well stated without being too intense and are fairly consistent throughout the palate. The finish is long with a light tropical passion fruit adding to the mix along with a subtle oak spice and sweet soft powdered sugar. Ultimately Denizen Rum cleans up with a light, cool feeling on the palate, leaving you wanting more.
As delightful as the Denizen Rum is neat, the real magic of the rum is just how mixable it is. Denizen makes a pitch perfect classic daiquiri, works exceptionally well in a mai tai, and gets along with Coke beautifully. There seems no end to Denizen’s mixability.
What’s amazing is that Denizen gives you so much and yet it’s priced ridiculously low at $15.99 a bottle. It’s mind boggling how such a great rum could also be so affordable. Denizen isn’t just great rum, it’s a must have bottle for anyone even remotely interested in making cocktails at home.
Bacardi and Coke, or rum and Coke, is one of the most common cocktails served, alongside Jack and Coke, and vodka and soda. A brilliantly simple drink, the rum and coke is actually a simplification of a classic cocktail called the Cuba Libre which dates back to the Spanish American War. During the war Americans packed their ships with Coca-Cola because the traditionally stimulating qualities of the original formula helped in the fight.
In Cuba, rum is the dominant beverage and American soldiers mixed this rum with their Coke and lime to make a deliciously addictive drink. The cocktail formally got its name when in 1898 General Russell used the drink for his toast to celebrate the liberation of Cuba from the Spanish. The toast was “Cuba Libre!” and the name stuck.
During the Cuban missile crisis the drink fell out of favor – no one was really interested in celebrating anything Cuban. The drink became known as Bacardi and Coke, or simply rum and Coke. During this transition the drink was often simplified with the essential lime dropped from the equation, and the Bacardi Gold rum was dropped in favor of the lighter Bacardi Superior.
A good Cuba Libre is more than just throwing rum and Coke in a glass. By assembling the ingredients in a specific order and using an aged rum like Bacardi Gold, you can create something that transcends the simple rum and Coke.
Ice tends to pick up the flavor and aroma of the first thing it comes in contact with, so a good Cuba Libre starts with seasoning, or tattooing, the ice with the lime as your first step. The lime is followed by the rum and then topped off with Coke and a gentle stir. The difference between the ingredients in a Cuba Libre and a rum and Coke aren’t dramatic, but when properly prepared, the Cuba Libre picks up a wonderful fresh citrus quality that really balances out the drink.
Cuba Libre
2oz Bacardi Gold Rum
4oz Coca Cola
1/2 oz of Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
In a tall glass with ice, add the lime juice to the ice. Add the rum and then top it with the Coke. Stir gently and garnish with a lime wedge.
