El Presidente

Taste

An ounce and a half of light rum, three-quarters of dry vermouth, half an ounce of orange liqueur, a barspoon of grenadine. Stirred, so it comes out clear and heavy in the glass. The barspoon of grenadine is pomegranate on the finish and a shade of colour; the orange liqueur is where the sugar actually is. Coupe, orange twist.

History

Havana, mid-1910s. The earliest known recipe is in John B. Escalante's Manual del Cantinero of 1915, which the French historian Fernando Castellon found in Cuba's Biblioteca Nacional, and Basil Woon's 1928 When It's Cocktail Time in Cuba called the drink the aristocrat of cocktails. David Wondrich credits Constantino Ribalaigua on the strength of a 1937 interview by Jack Cuddy, in which Ribalaigua claimed it. David Embury drew the line plainly in his 1948 The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks: if vermouth instead of citrus is used with the grenadine, the name is El Presidente. This menu pours an ounce and a half of light rum, three-quarters of dry vermouth, half an ounce of orange liqueur, and a barspoon of grenadine, stirred, coupe, orange twist.

• Difford's Guide, El Presidente

Same shape, other bottles

The Martini family, with the bottle that changed.

• Country Clubwithout grenadine
• Bobby Burnsscotch and sweet vermouth for light rum and dry vermouth
• Telling Phoebescotch and sweet vermouth for light rum and dry vermouth
• Bensonhurstrye and maraschino liqueur for light rum and orange liqueur
• Fanciullibourbon and sweet vermouth for light rum and dry vermouth
• Olivettegin and elderflower liqueur for light rum and orange liqueur