Instant messaging is a wild concept that we're all just so comfortable with. We can send words to another time zone with just a tap of the finger. But let’s not forget that not so long ago we were still in awe of regular old snail mail. So much awe, in fact, that Cuba celebrated this then-new form of comms in a way that Cuba does best – by naming a rum cocktail after it.
No stranger to cocktail invention, Cuba already had a flurry of rum-based greats, so by this point in the 1930s, this special cargo was primed to fly high. Similar to the French 75, the Air Mail could also be a ritzy relative of the Daiquiri, with its familiar shaken base of rum and lime. This cocktail, however, makes its first-class status known with a sparkling addition – literally, with Champagne, that was most likely flown in. By air. There’s also the golden flourish of honey to make the journey even sweeter.
Sweet, sour and every bit effervescent, it didn’t take long for the Air Mail to take off. Shortly after that first flight, the recipe was spotted in a Bacardi pamphlet, and it was even garnished with a real postage stamp – that bit is up to you. What is worth noting is that you can go for a wide-brimmed glass that is commonly used to serve a Daiquiri, as featured here, or you could use a tall glass – it’s closer to the sky that way.
