El Presidente Cocktail Recipe
Last updated on 26th November 2023
El Presidente is a delicious, elegant stirred cocktail for those cosy nights. It only needs light rum, white vermouth, orange liqueur and grenadine. This Cuban classic cocktail is a must-try for the cocktail lover and the home bartender.
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Jump to:
- History of El Presidente Cocktail
- Why to make El Presidente Cocktail
- Ingredients in El Presidente Cocktail
- How to make El Presidente Cocktail
- Top Tips and Fat Facts
- Recipe card
History of El Presidente Cocktail
As you may realise, Presidente is the word for ‘president’ in Spanish. This is because this cocktail is linked to not one, but two former Cuban presidents. A version states that the drink was created after President Mario García Menocal (serv. 1913-1921), while another version claims that it was Gerardo Machado (serv. 1925-1933) the president in question. It is also alleged that one bartender christened the drink after García Menocal, with a rendition that only had rum, French vermouth and grenadine. When Machado was president later, another bartender is said to have changed the recipe adding curaçao to the drink.
In any case, this “presidential” cocktail is recognized as one of Cuba’s favourite drinks and a classic, enjoyed by locals and Americans travelling to the island during the Prohibition period (1920’s). More on the history of El Presidente in this article by mixologist and digital creator Kevin Kos.
Why to make El Presidente Cocktail
It is a delicious drink. El Presidente tastes delicious. On the nose, the bright aroma from the orange oils invites you to sip it straight away. On the palate, you will taste at different levels: the rum, the vermouth, the orange liquor and an accent of the grenadine. If you follow our advice to make this drink, you will obtain an all-round cocktail where all the flavours brought by each component are revealed, without exception 👌
It is a Cuban favourite cocktail. El Presidente is a timeless, elegant cocktail that belongs to the rich Cuban mixology history. An article from the New York Evening Telegram from 1919 mentions El Presidente as “the favourite drink of the Cubans” (See the articles by David Wondrich and Kevin Kos if you want to learn more about the interesting history of El Presidente). A few renditions of El Presidente feature in different editions of the “Manual de Cantineros de Cuba”, the recipe guide of the famous Cuban mixologists association. It also appears in the cocktail compilation book “Cuban Cocktails: 100 Classic and Modern Drinks” by American bar-owners and authors Ravi DeRossi, Jane Danger and Alla Lapushchik.
It is a usually overlooked classic. While the go-to Cuban classic cocktails for bars around the world are the Mojito, the Daiquiri and the Cuba Libre, El Presidente is usually overlooked. That’s a great reason for you to make it at home. That way you will be making a classic drink that not all bars out there are making, so you will have the exclusive!
It is a great cocktail to use blanc vermouth and home-made grenadine. The cocktail calls for blanc vermouth, which is an intermediate between dry and sweet vermouth. With an authentic Vermouth of Chambery, you will be using pretty much the same stuff which the original El Presidente was made with. On the other hand, if you like to create foodstuff and drinks at home, making your own grenadine (pomegranate syrup) is recommended for El Presidente. Why? Well, it definitely tastes better than store-bought grenadine. For the home version of grenadine you’ll be sure to use real pomegranate juice (store-bought grenadine is generally not made out of pomegranates). You can easily control how tart and sweet your syrup is as well.
Ingredients in El Presidente Cocktail
Light white rum. The original cocktail called for Bacardí rum. But you can also use any light (lightly aged), white (its colour is clear) Spanish-style rum (from Cuba, Panama, Puerto Rico, etc). Another great light white rum cocktail is the Cancha or Canchanchara. Check it out here.
Blanc Vermouth. The original El Presidente cocktail (from 1910’s and 1920’s) called for French Vermouth or “vermouth from Chambery”. Until recently, most people used to put dry vermouth, until drinks historian David Wondrich discovered that the old recipes were actually made with a white vermouth (or semi-dry) from the region of Chambery, France. Today, Dolin Vermouth Blanc is accepted as the ideal option for El Presidente.
Orange liqueur. Triple sec or dry curaçao will do it.
Grenadine. A home-made pomegranate syrup is easy to make and tastes better than the store-bought one. I usually use the recipe from the bartender and writer Jeffrey Morgenthaler, which only calls for equal parts of 100% pomegranate juice and white granulated sugar, a few millilitres of pomegranate molasses and drops of orange blossom water. Rose water could be used as well.
Angostura bitters. An optional dash of aromatic bitters becomes the “seasoning” in this cocktail. I totally recommend it but feel free to omit it.
How to make El Presidente Cocktail
To a chilled mixing glass, add 50 ml (1¾ oz) of light rum, 25 ml (~¾ oz) of blanc vermouth, 10 ml (1⁄3 oz) triple sec or dry curaçao, ½ tbsp (1/4 oz) home-made grenadine and 1 dash Angostura aromatic bitters (optional). Add plenty of ice cubes to the glass and stir for around 30 seconds. Then strain the liquid through a cocktail strainer or a fine mesh sieve into a cocktail glass or coupe. Express the oils of an orange peel over the cocktail and use it as garnish. Or leave the garnishing out: your drink, your choice.
Top Tips and Fat Facts
David Wondrich has sparked the idea of adopting white vermouth as the standard for Cuban old cocktails that call for “French vermouth”. This fact has been picked up by Dolin, and you can even see the mention of “El Presidente” in their bottle of blanc vermouth.
A small quantity of grenadine gives not only colour to this drink, but also sweetness and tartness that it is naturally found in pomegranates. For this reason, making it at home is recommended, as opposed to using commercially available “grenadine” that it is not always true to the pomegranate flavours.
The light rum selection will play a key role in the flavour and sweetness of the drink. For bolder, sweeter rums, you may have to cut back a bit on the grenadine or use a drier orange liqueur. All this as a way of advise to keep your cocktail balanced, but generally speaking, vary the recipe to suit your needs.
Light white rum refers to the unaged or lightly aged (up to 3 years) spirit. In addition, it is called white because of its clear colour. Distillers sometimes filter aged rums so they actually look clear to the eye.
Last but not least, enjoy your cocktail and drink with moderation.
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El Presidente Cocktail Recipe
Very easy
Equipment
- 1 mixing glass (to mix the cocktail in it)
- 1 spoon or bar spoon (to stir the cocktail)
- 1 cocktail strainer or small fine mesh sieve (to strain the cocktail)
Ingredients
- 50 ml (1¾ oz) light white Cuban rum (or any good unaged or lightly aged white rum, preferrable Spanish-style)
- 25 ml (~¾oz) blanc vermouth
- 10 ml (⅓ oz) triple sec or dry curaçao
- ½ tbsp (7.5 ml or ¼ oz) home-made grenadine
- 1 dash Angostura aromatic bitters (optional)
Instructions
- Pour the light white rum, the vermouth blanc, triple sec (or dry curaçao), grenadine and the dash of bitters into a mixing glass filled with ice cubes. Mix for around 30 seconds. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass or coupe with the help of a cocktail strainer. Express the oils of an orange peel over the cocktail and use it as garnish. Cheers!
Notes
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