Dominicana cocktail recipe

The Dominicana cocktail was created by Sasha Petraske at his famous Milk & Honey bar in New York City. Though he sadly passed away in 2015, Sasha is considered one of the fathers of cocktail culture and has left plenty of much-loved bars and recipes behind as a legacy. His talent has even touched Australian shores, with the owners of Melbourne's popular cocktail bar The Everleigh being former employees of Milk & Honey.

The Dominicana is one of Sasha’s most famous cocktails; it’s indulgent, delicious and a meal in itself, sure to please anyone partial to rum or coffee. Adding an aged rum is key, as this style of rum tends to bring flavours of caramel and vanilla to the cocktail, which go so well with coffee and cream. Though you may be wary of cream in a cocktail, it adds a lovely texture similar to that of an Irish coffee, making it a critical part of the Dominicana.

Given the richness of the Dominicana, we recommend enjoying it after a meal in place of dessert. It’s certainly filling enough, and will satisfy any sweet cravings that remain after dinner.

Aged rum is key when making the Dominicana. That said, aged rum can really vary in terms of flavour. They generally tend toward caramel and vanilla, but can also taste like banana, spice and plenty of other things. If you’re heading out to purchase a bottle of rum from Dan’s, be sure to chat with one of our staff members to make sure you buy a rum that’s appropriate for the Dominicana. And if you’re out for dinner? Then the bartender should know which rum suits the cocktail. You can even ask them what they use, then drop by Dan’s and pick up a bottle so you can recreate the magic at home.