Nay does it matter which candidate you voted for. Heck, it doesn’t even matter which country’s presidency is up for election. The undeniable, unrelenting truth is that voting for the people we choose to represent us in government and our government to the world is the most basic intrinsic patriotic right we can exercise as citizens of our respective nations. Are the processes perfect, the candidates always ideal? Of course not. But personally I will take a flawed attempt at democracy over having no say at all.
Don’t worry, this episode will not devolve into a political diatribe. I refuse to use my platform of fun and silliness as a framework to divide my audience via party lines. The only party we are affiliated with here is a luau. I guess you could say we are the Tiki party?
That being said I would be remiss to pass up the opportunity to capitalize on an episode I almost let slip by. It didn’t even occur to me till after the election this year (2020) that there was a drink that fits perfectly. In the spirit of full transparency I was going to throw together another homemade fall-inspired drink to fill some space while I worked on the big Christmas episode, till I came across a recipe I had totally forgotten about.
To listeners of this show it’s no secret I have an infatuation with Cuba that goes beyond the fact that it is so central to our cocktailian narrative. The country’s relationship with the U.S., untenable as it may be at times, is so incredibly interesting. From U.S. presidents involved in Cuban politics to Prohibition tourism to the mob taking over Havana to the Cuban Revolution our nations have been inextricably bound in a sort of your-leading-no-I’m-leading-ouch-you-stepped-on-my-toe tango that’s both polarizing and uniting. Much like that annoying uncle who wants to bring up politics at the Thanksgiving table.
That’s why this episode’s cocktail not only fits by name, but also leans into the very nature of our relationship with our neighbors to the south. It’s time to don your business happy-hour attire and find yourself a nice tawdry chair in whatever shape your office happens to be, oval or otherwise, because we’re about to get presidential with the El Presidente!
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When my wife and I travelled to Cuba there was only one stop on our itinerary that the U.S. Embassy admonished us to stay away from: The Hotel Nacional. Most notably the alleged scene of the biggest gathering of U.S. mob bosses in Havana, Hotel Nacional’s reputation as a hotbed of political discord stretched to its inception. All the way back to the 1930’s. You see, even before organized crime there was another stateside entity embroiled in collusion with Cuba, the U.S. Government.
In order to maintain control over our closest Caribbean neighbor the U.S. backed several Cuban presidents. One way they did this was by allowing American business to capitalize on and all but take hold of Havana during prohibition tourism. That’s right, our government banned the sale of alcohol in the states but was more than happy to encourage well off Americans to indulge in the vices of our Cuban amigos. One such American mogul was John Bowman, who cozied up nicely with Cuban president Gerardo Machado. Who wasn’t very cozy with Machado was his people who, thanks in large part to his overbearing and violent regime, did not care for Cuban politicians drinking on America’s tab.
Bowman owned many properties in Havana including the Sevilla-Biltmore, the Jockey Club, Gran Casino Nacional, and his biggest most ambitious project the Hotel Nacional. Bowman also employed head bartender Eddie Woelke, an American expat who took up residency in Havana during prohibition. Eddie worked in a number of Bowman bars creating drinks still being shaken or stirred on menus around the globe. He won awards, was filmed for U.S. media, and earned the moniker “One Million Drink Woelke” for the number of daiquiris he slung across Havana bar tops; rivaling only Constantino himself.
Eddie seemed the obvious choice to head up the cocktail program at Havana’s newest and most prestigious hotel, but for whatever reason Bowman chose not to move him to the Nacional. A decision that worked out most fortuitous for Eddie. In 1933 a group of anti-Machado dissidents descended upon Hotel Nacional with a bombardment of artillery fire. Thus began the Hotel Nacional’s tumultuous political legacy. When the U.S. repealed prohibition two months later Eddie Woelke saw the cue like a giant flashing neon sign and repatriated to America plying his trade in New York City’s Weylin Hotel. But not before creating the topic of today’s endeavor.
El Presidente was created by Eddie Woelke in honor of president Machado. At least that’s the prevalent story. But much like any good cocktail origin there has to be some controversy, right? (Why does there always have to be controversy.) According to cocktail historian Jeff “Beachbum” Berry the cocktail was actually created for Mario Garcia Menocal during his Cuban presidency way back in 1919. Eddie may have tweaked it a bit but the main ingredients stayed the same.
El Presidente concoction was concocted to appeal to the American cocktail palate rather than the tropical flavors we get from other Caribbean drinks, but this cousin to the Manhattan utilizes that most Caribbean of spirits: rum.
So, with that being said, pull up your presidential pants, loosen that tie, and let’s make a drink!
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The recipe from the Cuban cocktail handbook Manual del Cantinero circa 1924 calls for anejo Cuban rum. Anejo, meaning aged, would be an amber. I happen to have a small amount of Havana Club I obtained before the most recent embargo went into effect, though I prefer Santiago de Cuba rum if I had my druthers, but when a drink calls for Cuban rum I usually have 2 go-to’s for stateside stand-ins. The middle of the road one-for-one would be the Real Havana Club out of Puerto Rico, and for a higher end rum I use Flor de Cana 7yr from Nicaragua. Much like cigars, the terroir and style of Nicaraguan rums mimics the flavor and body of old world Cubans. I went with the Flor de Cana this time. Oddly enough this early recipe is the only one that calls for amber rum, as most others use an blanco, or white rum. This may have been one of the changes Eddie Woelke made to his version. For substituting white rums for Cuban I use the same brands. Real Havana Club for standard and Flor de Cana 4yr aged blanco for a higher end. I called an audible on this one, though. I came across many recipes calling for an anejo (aged), or “rich” white rum. This seemed to me the perfect opportunity to employ one of my favorite newer rums on the market. Plantation 3 Star. A blend of rums from Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad Plantation 3 Star offers a rich, full body with just a hint of funk that brings the balance and depth redolent of aged Cuban white rums.
The next culprit is Chambery Vermouth Blanc. Chambery refers to the region of France where this vermouth is made by the only company which still offers it; Dolin. Blanc Vermouth begins with white wine then is infused with herbal flavors the principle of which being elderflower.
Then it gets a little confusing. Italy and France are the main producers of vermouth. The two main variants are dry, or blanc, and sweet, or rouge. Sweet vermouth refers to the red colored liqueur used in Manhattans. Chambery Dry vermouth tends to be sweeter and fruitier with a less drying mouth feel than its Italian kin but it’s not a sweet vermouth. Dolin does make a rouge Chambery but recipes specify to use Chambery Dry in El Presidente. Using Italian extra dry vermouth is pleasant and makes a rum martini. Using a sweet vermouth plays better with rum, but that transforms this into a rum Manhattan, which is a different drink altogether.
We will need some dry orange Curacao. I always recommend Bols brand because they are one of the original Dutch Caribbean liqueurs, but opt for Pierre Ferrand if you want to get really executive. For a full dive into orange liqueurs check out the Margarita episode or blog post.
The last thing is grenadine. As a non-alcoholic pomegranate syrup grenadine is used more for coloring in cocktails than flavor. In this drink it is the only sweetener added so it does do the trick there as well as adding a touch of fruitiness. I have to admit I have not yet endeavored to make my own grenadine which is formidably fruitier than store bought, but so little is used in this cocktail plus it benefits from the added sweetness of store bought.
Some recipes add a dash of Angostura bitters which I find rounds out this drink nicely.
We will cover two recipes here. The classic, which omits grenadine and uses equal parts rum and vermouth giving it a medicinal taste, and a later version that I find more pleasing to the palate. I have no evidence to back this next statement up, but I have to imagine that Eddie Woelke is credited with this drink because he made the adaptations to take a rather astringent classic and teased out a tropical speakeasy drink.
The classic is as follows:
1 oz Anejo Rum (Flor de Cana 7yr)
1 oz Chambery Vermouth
¼ oz Dry Orange Curacao
Orange Twist
Stir all ingredients save the twist in a cocktail beaker then strain into a coup. Express the orange twist into the glass then use as garnish.
The modern version, based on a recipe from Liquor.com, increases the rum and Curacao while decreasing the vermouth making the drink a lot more palatable. El Presidente is supposed to have a strong vermouth flavor. It’s the highlight of this drink, but I find it doesn’t play well with sweet rum and creates a medicinal bite that puts me off and seems to me a waste of good rum. Using a milder rum than Flor de Cana, like the aforementioned Havana Club, lets the vermouth take center stage, but it’s still kinda weird. That’s why I like this recipe which highlights the rum and uses vermouth to round out and add complexity to this drink. The Curacao lends body while grenadine and Angostura respectively do their jobs in creating a cocktail worthy of presidential esteem. And so it goes:
1 ½ oz Flor de Cana 7yr or Plantation 3 Star
¾ oz Chambery Vermouth
¾ oz Orange Cuaracao
¼ tsp Grenadine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Orange Peel
Stir in a cocktail beaker and double strain into a coup glass. Express the orange peel over the drink and discard. Plantation 3 Star adds depth to a crisp fruitiness and makes the drink a tad sweeter. The vermouth cohabitates better with a light rum. Using an anejo boosts the rumminess, especially with the ultra flavorful Flor de Cana. I prefer the white version and I implore you to experiment with whichever fits your palate.
Okay. Now that I gave El Presidente its due it’s time to be honest - this is not my favorite cocktail. It seems like the type of drink a President might have ordered for them, take one sip, smile, then order a mojito. This drink just doesn’t seem to highlight the great flavor of rum more than just having it neat. It’s not terrible, but I wouldn’t call it good or tasty at all. I feel it definitely was an attempt at using Caribbean rum to create a prohibition style cocktail appealing to American tourists. It did make its way back to the states but with options like the Old Fashioneds and Manhattans I’m not sure why.
That 2nd version does do a decent job of bringing the rich rum flavor forward so for my cigar folks out there I recommend pairing with a Perdomo ESV Sun Grown. I realize I pick Perdomo a lot. That’s because they have a rich depth that cuts through flavorful drinks. The ESV Sun Grown recently won Cigar Journal’s Nicaraguan cigar of the year and offers a pleasant umami cream accompaniment to El Presidente’s bitter vermouth bite. The cigar accentuates the rummy molasses taking the sting out of the drink.
There you have it, El Presidente. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Acknowledgements for this episode go to: First and foremost Potions of the Caribbean by Jeff Berry, Liquor.com, Imbibe.com, Diffordsguide.com for the vermouth article and a Washington Post article by Deb Lindsey.
Find this and all past shows and articles at PodTiki.com and follow, rate, and review us @pod_tiki and me @rum_poet on Instagram and Facebook. Listen on iTunes and Spotify!
As always, drink responsibly and keepi tiki!