First I thought of Fidel Castro. Then I thought of Desi Arnez. Then I thought of Santiago, Hemingway’s fisherman in The Old Man and the Sea. But neither politics nor literature is the point. The Old Cuban, as I discovered, is a cocktail, a sort of cousin to the Mojito, but fancier, more sophisticated, and more fun, and just right when you are spending a few minutes at the bar of one of our Hamptons restaurants waiting for your table.
The cocktail ingredients and technique, as interpreted by Scott Handwerker, barman at the Living Room at c/o Maidstone Hotel:
Amber rum (he used Mount Gay)
Simple syrup
Angostura bitters
Fresh lime juice
Mint leaves, mulled
Shake and strain
Top with a dry sparkling wine like Prosecco or non-vintage champagne
Handwerker served it in a flute, but I can imagine it in any number of cocktail glasses, depending on your taste and setting. The color is lovely, so you should show it off. Onward and upward with imaginative cocktails.