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The El Presidente cocktail is a Cuban drink made with rum, blanc vermouth, orange liqueur, and grenadine: essentially a spin on the Manhattan!
Here’s a 1920’s drink that’s begging to be part of your repertoire: the El Presidente cocktail! This Cuban classic was never quite as popular as the daiquiri or the mojito, but it’s special in its own right.
It’s sleek and sophisticated, kind of like a Cuban spin on a Manhattan using rum instead of whisky. It’s got some special ingredients and comes out boozy, subtly bitter with a sweet and citrus nuance. After making over 300 cocktail recipes for this website, I’ve never had anything like it!
Featured Reader Review
“Wow! I loved this cocktail so much I made a second. I’ve been working on my Mixology since the pandemic. This is my new favorite! Thank you, thank you!” -Scott
Ingredients In The El Presidente Cocktail
The El Presidente cocktail is a Cuban mixed drink made with aged rum, vermouth blanc, orange liqueur (usually Curaçao), and grenadine. The drink was invented around 1910, named for the Cuban president: “El Presidente” means “the president” in Spanish. It was popular in Cuba in the 1920’s to the 1940’s, but is lesser known today: maybe because of the unique ingredients required to make it!
Most of the Cuban cocktails you know and love are sour cocktails: a combination of liquor, sweetener and citrus. But the El Presidente is completely different: a boozy stirred cocktail that’s more like a Manhattan. You’ll need the following ingredients, which I’ll cover below:
- Aged or golden rum
- Blanc vermouth or Lillet Blanc
- Grand Marnier or Orange Curaçao
- Grenadine, purchased or homemade grenadine syrup
All About Blanc Vermouth
When it comes to vermouth, most people know two main types: sweet red vermouth and dry white vermouth. But did you know there’s a third type of vermouth? Meet blanc vermouth aka vermouth bianco, as it’s known in Italy:
- Blanc vermouth is a semi sweet white vermouth: it’s both dry like white vermouth and sweet like red vermouth. The flavor is floral with hints of vanilla, and a subtle bitterness on the finish.
- Do you need blanc vermouth in the El Presidente? Yes! I tried the El Presidente with a dry white vermouth, and it’s much too bitter.
- What’s a substitute for blanc vermouth? Lillet Blanc is easy to find and works as a substitute. With either one, you can also make a White Negroni and a classic Vesper Martini.
Aged and Golden Rum
Many rum cocktails use white or dark rum. But the El Presidente cocktail uses a whole other category of this liquor: aged rum or golden rum! Aging rum for a few years gives it a complex flavor. Golden rum can have undertones of vanilla, coconut, almond, citrus, or caramel. The aged rum that we used here was Brugal Añejo Rum.
Can’t find golden or aged rum or don’t have it on hand? You can substitute dark rum in the El Presidente for similar flavor.
Grand Marnier vs Curaçao
The last main liquor in the El Presidente is the orange liqueur! This drink traditionally uses orange curaçao, but it can be hard to find. Here are a few notes on what else to use as a substitute:
- Grand Marnier is your best bet. Grand Marnier is the highest end orange liqueur, and brings nuanced, sophisticated flavor. We had a bottle (because we like Grand Marnier cocktails), so we used it here.
- Cointreau also works. Got a bottle for making margaritas or other Cointreau drinks? You can use it here too. The flavor is a little less nuanced and the color of the drink will be a little different because it’s colorless. But it still works!
How To Make the El Presidente Cocktail
Got all the ingredients? That’s the hardest part in the El Presidente cocktail. It takes less than 5 minutes to stir together! Here’s what to do:
- Stir together all ingredients in a cocktail mixing glass. This is a classic “stirred” cocktail where you stir the ingredients together instead of shaking them (like the Martini and Manhattan).
- Strain and garnish. Strain the drink into a stemmed cocktail glass. Add a Luxardo cherry if you like to bring in more of the Manhattan vibe.
- Don’t have a mixing glass? Use any glass or container you like to mix the drink, then strain it into the serving glass. Or, grab a cocktail mixing glass.
Batching El Presidentes for a Party
Stirred cocktails are great for making ahead. All you have to do is multiply the recipe by the number of drinks, then add water that is 20% of the total volume, which mimics the dilution you’d get from stirring with ice.
For example, for 8 servings it would be 2 cups rum, 1 cup blanc vermouth, 1 cup orange liqueur, and 8 teaspoons grenadine. Then add ¾ cup cold water.
You can store the batch in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
When To Serve an El Presidente
The El Presidente cocktail is a sophisticated and boozy rum cocktail. It’s perfect for sipping as a:
- Happy hour drink
- Dinner party drink
- Late night drink
- Guys or girls night drink
El Presidente Cocktail
The El Presidente cocktail is a Cuban drink made with rum, blanc vermouth, orange liqueur, and grenadine: essentially a spin on the Manhattan!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Stirred
- Cuisine: Cuban
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 ounces aged or golden rum
- 1 ounce blanc vermouth (or Lillet Blanc)
- 1 ounce Orange Curaçao or Grand Marnier
- 1 teaspoon grenadine
- For the garnish: orange peel and Luxardo cherry or cocktail cherry
Instructions
- In a mixing glass, add the rum, vermouth or Lillet Blanc, Grand Marnier, and grenadine and fill the mixing glass with a handful of ice. Stir until cold. Strain the drink into a cocktail glass.
- Use a knife to remove a 1″ wide strip of an orange peel. Squeeze the orange peel into the drink to release the oils. Gently run the peel around the edge of the glass, then place it in the glass and serve. Add a cocktail cherry if desired.
Wow! I loved this cocktail so much I made a second. I’ve been working on my Mixology since the pandemic. This is my new favorite! Thank you, thank you!
Scott
A nice surprise! When I first tried one, my thought was that it had more of a martini vibe with the vermouth blanc. Thought a cherry was needed and see you agree! I should have checked here first. Next time I’ll try Grand Marnier as you suggest.
Update – I swapped out Grand Marnier and to my surprise MUCH preferred the orange curaçao. I used 1.5 oz golden rum, .75 oz vermouth blanc and .25 oz orange curaçao with two dashes of grenadine and a cherry. Great Cuban martini!
This recipe is very off balance. I read one whole ounce of curaçao or grand marnier and thought “that’s way too much” I went down to half ounce and it was far too pronounced still. I then scaled down the recipe to try it ah the ratio presented and it was, as I thought, far too sweet. I tried it w 1/4 ounce curaçao and it was much better. DO NOT WASTE A WHOLE OUNCE OF CURAÇAO OR ORNAGE LIQUER ON THIS DRINK.