Uploaded July 2017 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Here’s how to make this simple, pre-Prohibition, Cuban cocktail of Light Rum, White Vermouth (Blanc or Bianco Vermouth), Dry Curaçao, Grenadine with a Maraschino Cherry and an Orange Peel for garnish. When made fresh, it's a light a easy sipper. Barrel-aging the drink keeps most of the underlying flavors intact, but changes some of its more subtle qualities. The aging makes the flavors richer, darker and deeper. It also sands off the rough edges and harsher elements in the drink.
Like other classics, the El Presidente’s past is a surrounded in a lot of myth and rumors. Luckily, several cocktail historians, including David Wondrich, Eric Felten and Fernando Castellon, were able to shed some light on this classic and unearth the real history behind it.
The oft repeated story of the drink was that it was created in Cuban, during Prohibition, by Eddie Woelke, an American bartender who fled south to be able to continue plying his trade. This is due to Woelke's popularity with US tourists of the time, the fact that they fell in love with this drink while on vacation and that they continued to demand it back in the States, when it became possible again.
The drink was created in Cuba, however, it was done so before Prohibition and by a Cuban, Constantino "Constante" Ribalaigua. Ribalaigua was considered one of the best bartenders of his day, he created this drink and the Daiquiri No. 4 and he ran the bar program at La Florida, which became famous for being an Ernest Hemingway haunt.
The drink appeared in print as early as 1915 in Manual del Cantinero by John B. Escalante. The recipe was a little different in that printing (2:1 vermouth to rum, bitters, no orange twist), but over the next couple years, it got a little more consistent in print. It became 1:1 rum to vermouth, curaçao, sometime a drop of grenadine and garnished with a cherry and an orange twist.
For decades it was commonly assumed the drink used dry vermouth for the vermouth. However, through his research, David Wondrich discovered that the drink was meant to be made with Chambéry vermouth, aka White Vermouth, Blanc Vermouth or Bianco Vermouth (which was the Italian interpretation of the Chambéry style). White vermouth is a semi-dry vermouth that's somewhere in between sweet vermouth and dry vermouth.
It's not used as often as sweet or dry vermouth, but it's very much worth it, even just for this drink alone. It really elevates El Presidente both in the barrel-aged version and its freshly-made counterpart.
I aged ended up aging this drink a lot longer than I had originally intended. I had only planned on keeping it in the barrel for 30-45 days. But after the 45 day mark, I felt it steep a little longer. Every time I tried it after that, it managed to stay free of the over oaky flavors of a drink that's been in the barrel too long and at the same time color the flavor profile into a fuller, richer place. You won't need to age it this long, but it happened to work out that way for me. When you age yours, start with the 30-45 days and take it from there. Feel free to pull it out of the barrel whenever the flavor seems right to you. ¡Salud!
Recipe (1-Liter):
470 ml (16 oz) Light Rum
470 ml (16 oz) White Vermouth
45 ml (1.5 oz) Curaçao
15 ml (0.5 oz) Grenadine
Combine ingredients. Add to cured oak barrel. Age for 3-4 weeks. Taste occasionally. When ready, strain through a fine mesh strainer and bottle.
Music:
En La Niebla 3 by Martin Carlberg
via Epidemic Sound
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Featured in This Episode:
Caña Brava 3-Year Rum
bit.ly/2rHr8tQ
Dolin White Vermouth
bit.ly/2sFZDxV
Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
bit.ly/2ox8eE1
Bluegrass Barrels
bit.ly/2ocrqmK
amzn.to/2xCQify
Luxardo Maraschino Cherries
amzn.to/2mhkqEg
Bar Tools:
OXO Good Grips 4-Cup Angled Measuring Cup
amzn.to/2dSFdwS
OXO Measuring Cup (2 oz)
amzn.to/2nk5BSF
Nick & Nora Glass
amzn.to/2m77HVe
Barspoon
amzn.to/1FfLxB4
Fine Mesh Stainless Steel Strainers
amzn.to/2muxWs8
Stainless Steel Funnels
amzn.to/2lAkYFt
Mixing Glass
amzn.to/2lilEC5
Julep Strainer
amzn.to/2lg4Coz
Here’s how to make this simple, pre-Prohibition, Cuban cocktail of Light Rum, White Vermouth (Blanc or Bianco Vermouth), Dry Curaçao, Grenadine with a Maraschino Cherry and an Orange Peel for garnish. When made fresh, it's a light a easy sipper. Barrel-aging the drink keeps most of the underlying flavors intact, but changes some of its more subtle qualities. The aging makes the flavors richer, darker and deeper. It also sands off the rough edges and harsher elements in the drink.
Like other classics, the El Presidente’s past is a surrounded in a lot of myth and rumors. Luckily, several cocktail historians, including David Wondrich, Eric Felten and Fernando Castellon, were able to shed some light on this classic and unearth the real history behind it.
The oft repeated story of the drink was that it was created in Cuban, during Prohibition, by Eddie Woelke, an American bartender who fled south to be able to continue plying his trade. This is due to Woelke's popularity with US tourists of the time, the fact that they fell in love with this drink while on vacation and that they continued to demand it back in the States, when it became possible again.
The drink was created in Cuba, however, it was done so before Prohibition and by a Cuban, Constantino "Constante" Ribalaigua. Ribalaigua was considered one of the best bartenders of his day, he created this drink and the Daiquiri No. 4 and he ran the bar program at La Florida, which became famous for being an Ernest Hemingway haunt.
The drink appeared in print as early as 1915 in Manual del Cantinero by John B. Escalante. The recipe was a little different in that printing (2:1 vermouth to rum, bitters, no orange twist), but over the next couple years, it got a little more consistent in print. It became 1:1 rum to vermouth, curaçao, sometime a drop of grenadine and garnished with a cherry and an orange twist.
For decades it was commonly assumed the drink used dry vermouth for the vermouth. However, through his research, David Wondrich discovered that the drink was meant to be made with Chambéry vermouth, aka White Vermouth, Blanc Vermouth or Bianco Vermouth (which was the Italian interpretation of the Chambéry style). White vermouth is a semi-dry vermouth that's somewhere in between sweet vermouth and dry vermouth.
It's not used as often as sweet or dry vermouth, but it's very much worth it, even just for this drink alone. It really elevates El Presidente both in the barrel-aged version and its freshly-made counterpart.
I aged ended up aging this drink a lot longer than I had originally intended. I had only planned on keeping it in the barrel for 30-45 days. But after the 45 day mark, I felt it steep a little longer. Every time I tried it after that, it managed to stay free of the over oaky flavors of a drink that's been in the barrel too long and at the same time color the flavor profile into a fuller, richer place. You won't need to age it this long, but it happened to work out that way for me. When you age yours, start with the 30-45 days and take it from there. Feel free to pull it out of the barrel whenever the flavor seems right to you. ¡Salud!
Recipe (1-Liter):
470 ml (16 oz) Light Rum
470 ml (16 oz) White Vermouth
45 ml (1.5 oz) Curaçao
15 ml (0.5 oz) Grenadine
Combine ingredients. Add to cured oak barrel. Age for 3-4 weeks. Taste occasionally. When ready, strain through a fine mesh strainer and bottle.
Music:
En La Niebla 3 by Martin Carlberg
via Epidemic Sound
Follow Us!
facebook.com/DistinguishedSpirits
instagram.com/distinguishedspirits
twitter.com/DistinguishedSp
pinterest.com/DistinguishedSp
Featured in This Episode:
Caña Brava 3-Year Rum
bit.ly/2rHr8tQ
Dolin White Vermouth
bit.ly/2sFZDxV
Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
bit.ly/2ox8eE1
Bluegrass Barrels
bit.ly/2ocrqmK
amzn.to/2xCQify
Luxardo Maraschino Cherries
amzn.to/2mhkqEg
Bar Tools:
OXO Good Grips 4-Cup Angled Measuring Cup
amzn.to/2dSFdwS
OXO Measuring Cup (2 oz)
amzn.to/2nk5BSF
Nick & Nora Glass
amzn.to/2m77HVe
Barspoon
amzn.to/1FfLxB4
Fine Mesh Stainless Steel Strainers
amzn.to/2muxWs8
Stainless Steel Funnels
amzn.to/2lAkYFt
Mixing Glass
amzn.to/2lilEC5
Julep Strainer
amzn.to/2lg4Coz
