3 Cuban Cocktail Recipes To Make Your Winter A Little Better

by Erika W. Smith

Whether you’re bemoaning a weirdly wet, warm winter or stuck inside due to multiple feet of snow, we know one thing that will make you feel better about sucky December weather: a cocktail. Below, we’re featuring three recipes from the new book Cuban Cocktails: 100 Classic And Modern Drinks by Ravi DeRossi, Jane Danger and Alla Lapshuck of Cienfuegos.

Sweater Weather

SWEATER WEATHER

This drink—named for the weather that inspired it—is one part Hot Toddy served cold and one part Dark and Stormy. Try it during the first few weeks of spring, when there’s still a lingering winter bite in the air, or as summer gives way to fall and the nights bring a hint of the coming chill. This Cienfuegos original, created by Jessica Wohlers, has been on the menu since fall 2014. Despite its name, this drink is refreshing year round.

1½ OUNCES EL DORADO 12 YEAR RUM
¾ OUNCE RITTENHOUSE RYE
½ OUNCE COINTREAU
½ OUNCE GINGER SYRUP (see below)
¾ OUNCE LEMON JUICE
LEMON FOR GARNISH

Shake with ice, and strain into rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.

NOTE
For added presentation pizzazz, stud the lemon twist with whole cloves as pictured here.

GINGER SYRUP
1 cup ginger juice
1 cup demerara sugar or brown sugar
1 cup white sugar

Build in a saucepan, and cook on low heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool, and refrigerate. The mixture will keep for two weeks.

La Imperatriz

LA IMPERATRIZ

Teresa Cristina de Bourbon, a Spanish princess of the kingdom of the Two Sicilies, became empress of Brazil by marrying Emperor Pedro II in 1843. This punch, named for the Brazilian prefecture named for her, honors her Italian heritage with zucca, an aperitif made with rhubarb.

36 MINT LEAVES, PLUS EXTRA FOR GARNISH
18 LARGE BLACKBERRIES, PLUS EXTRA FOR GARNISH
3 OUNCES HONEY SYRUP (See below)
6 OUNCES CHAIRMAN’S RESERVE RUM
6 OUNCES RITTENHOUSE RYE
3 OUNCES ZUCCA
4½ OUNCES LEMON JUICE
6 OUNCES DRY SPARKLING WINE

LEMON FOR GARNISH

In a large pitcher, muddle mint and blackberries in honey syrup. Add remaining ingredients, except sparkling wine. Stir with ice cubes for 20 to 30 seconds. Fine strain through mesh strainer into a punch bowl with 3 large ice cubes. Top with sparkling wine, and garnish with mint, blackberries, and lemon wheels.

SINGLE SERVING
6 MINT LEAVES, PLUS EXTRA FOR GARNISH
3 LARGE BLACKBERRIES, PLUS EXTRA FOR GARNISH
½ OUNCE HONEY SYRUP (See below)
1 OUNCE CHAIRMAN’S RESERVE RUM
1 OUNCE RITTENHOUSE RYE
½ OUNCE ZUCCA
¾ OUNCE LEMON JUICE
1 OUNCE DRY SPARKLING WINE

LEMON FOR GARNISH

Muddle mint and blackberries in honey syrup. Add remaining ingredients except sparkling wine, and shake with ice. Double strain into a flute or Collins glass filled with ice. Top with sparkling wine, and garnish as above.

HONEY SYRUP
1 ½ cups honey
1 ½ cups water

Heat in a pan on low until combined. The syrup keeps in the refrigerator for three weeks. 

FOR WHAT AILS YA

FOR WHAT AILS YA

Many cold-weather drinks are designed either to ward off illness or to alleviate its symptoms when that winter cold finally hits. The toddy, a cold-weather classic, is frequently made with whiskey these days, but that wasn’t always the case. The name comes from the Hindi word tari, meaning the sap of the palmyra palm tree, which was fermented into palm wine (still a common beverage in parts of Asia and Africa). In colonial days, rum went into toddies as often as whiskey. In this Caribbean-style toddy, lemon, ginger, and cayenne provide a triple boost against what ails ya.

1½ OUNCES DARK RUM
½ OUNCE GINGER SYRUP (see below)
3 OUNCES APPLE CIDER
¾ OUNCE LEMON JUICE
CAYENNE PEPPER FOR GARNISH

Build all ingredients in a small pan, and bring to a boil. Pour into a mug, and garnish with a dusting of cayenne pepper.

GINGER SYRUP
1 cup ginger juice
1 cup demerara sugar or brown sugar
1 cup white sugar

Build in a saucepan, and cook on low heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool, and refrigerate. The mixture will keep for two weeks.

Reprinted with permission from Cuban Cocktails published in 2015 by Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. © DeRossi Global LLC. Photography by Gabi Porter

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