AuthorThe Cocktails Must FlowCategoryGrenadine, Orange Twist, Triple Sec, White Rum, White VermouthThe El Presidente cocktail is a Cuban alcoholic drink made of rum, orange curaçao, white vermouth, and grenadine.
Half-fill a mixing jug with ice.
Add all ingredients and stir until well-chilled.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with an orange twist.
The El Presidente earned its acclaim in Havana during the 1920s through the 1940s during the American Prohibition. It quickly became the preferred drink of the Cuban upper class.
There are two rival stories of who the cocktail is named after. One is Mario García Menocal, president from 1913 to 1921. The other is Gerardo Machado, who was a general and also president from 1925 to 1933.
There are also multiple claims as to the invention of the cocktail. One story is that it was American bartender Eddie Woelke, who named it after Gen. Menochal after moving to Havana. Another claim is that it was invented as early as 1915 in Cuba, 5 years before Woelke set foot on the Malecón in 1920. This premise if true is even further debated, as either being invented at the Vista Alegre (a Havana establishment frequented by Americans), or by President Menocal himself.
[cocktail-ingredients]
Ingredients
Directions
Half-fill a mixing jug with ice.
Add all ingredients and stir until well-chilled.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with an orange twist.