Old Cuban recipe
Aged gold rum, prosecco, simple syrup, lime juice and Angostura bitters, shaken and strained into a coupe glass, garnished with 6 mint leaves.
By Kris Barton · Updated - 2 mins total
- 6 ingredients
- Coupe glass
- 365 kcal
What Ingredients do you need to make an Old Cuban?
Golden Rum
Golden Rum (aka Amber Rum) is a medium-bodied, aged rum that gets its dark colour from aging in wooden barrels.
Golden Rums tend to have more flavour and are stronger tasting than their lighter counterparts.
For Golden Rum, we recommend:
Cocktails with Golden Rum
Prosecco
Prosecco is an Italian white wine that’s almost always made to be some level of sparkling.
By law it’s made from the Prosecco grape – aka the Glera grape – but up to 15% of the wine is permitted to be made up by other grape varieties.
For Prosecco, we recommend:
Simple Syrup
Simple Syrup is a common ingredient in cocktails and is used simply to sweeten a drink.
You can buy the syrup off the shelf, but it’s also pretty easy to make yourself. It’s made by combining sugar and water in equal parts – simple, right?
If you do want to buy it off the shelf, we recommend:
Angostura Bitters
Angostura bitters is a concentrated bitters (aka a herbal alcoholic preparation) based on gentian (a plant with a bitter root), herbs, and spices.
It’s produced by the House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago and is called Angostura as it was created in the town of Angostura in Venezuela.
Angostura Bitters are typically used for flavouring drinks, and the House of Angostura also makes orange bitters.
For Angostura Bitters, we recommend:
Cocktails with Angostura Bitters
What Equipment do you need to make an Old Cuban?
Cocktail Shaker
Cocktail shakers improve the taste of cocktails. It’s a fact.
There’s a reason that famed British spy James Bond says “shaken, not stirred”. And that reason is: because it tastes better.
If you don’t already have a cocktail shaker set, you might want to check out our detailed cocktail shaker comparison.
But to cut a long story short, here’s the cocktail shaker we recommend:
Hawthorne Strainer
If you (or perhaps the person you’re buying for) don’t have a Hawthorne strainer as part of a cocktail shaker set, it’s a great, and incredibly useful, addition to your cocktail toolbox.
The strainer is typically used to remove the ice (or any other unwanted solid ingredients) from your cocktail as it’s poured from the cocktail shaker into your glass.
For a Hawthorne Strainer, we recommend:
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Recipe card
Old Cuban
- Prep
- 1 min
- Making
- 1 min
- Total
- 2 mins
- Serves
- 1
- Glass
- Coupe glass
- Calories
- 365 kcal
Ingredients
Makes 1 drink.
Method
- Use a muddler to muddle the mint leaves with simple syrup and lime juice in your cocktail shaker.
- Add the rum, bitters, and ice and shake until well-chilled.
- Use a Hawthorne strainer to strain the mix into a coupe glass.
- Top up with prosecco.
- Garnish with a mint leaf.
Want more like this? Browse our full collection of modern cocktails.
Old Cuban FAQs
What Ingredients do you need to make an Old Cuban?
To make an Old Cuban, you need 45ml / 1.5oz aged gold rum, 60ml / 2oz prosecco, 25ml / 0.8oz simple syrup, 20ml / 0.6oz lime juice and 2 dashes Angostura bitters, plus 6 mint leaves to garnish. There’s more about golden rum, prosecco, simple syrup and Angostura bitters above.
What Equipment do you need to make an Old Cuban?
You’ll need a cocktail shaker and a Hawthorne strainer.
What alcohol is in an Old Cuban?
An Old Cuban contains 45ml / 1.5oz aged gold rum and 60ml / 2oz prosecco.
Is an Old Cuban shaken or stirred?
An Old Cuban is shaken. Shake it with ice in a cocktail shaker, then strain it into a coupe glass and top it up.
Can I make an Old Cuban without a cocktail shaker?
A cocktail shaker is best, but a clean jam jar with a tight lid works too. Add ice and the ingredients, screw the lid on and shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds, then strain it into your glass through a small sieve.
What glass is an Old Cuban served in?
Serve an Old Cuban in a coupe glass.
How do you garnish an Old Cuban?
Garnish an Old Cuban with a mint leaf.
How do I make an Old Cuban for a group?
The recipe makes one drink. Multiply every measure by the number of drinks you want: for 4, you’d need 180ml aged gold rum, 240ml prosecco, 100ml simple syrup, 80ml lime juice and 8 dashes Angostura bitters. Shake one or two drinks at a time, so there’s room in the shaker for the ice.
