Hotel Nacional cocktail recipe

For a country under embargo since 1958, the tiny Caribbean island of Cuba sure can boast some pretty impressive exports. Most famous of all of them has to be its cocktails. Mojitos! Cuba Libres! Daiquiris! They mix a mean drink in Cuba, and the Hotel Nacional is no exception.

Named for the historic resort it was first served in (Havana’s Hotel Nacional de Cuba), this drink is thought to be created by American bartender Wil Taylor. Thanks to the USA’s infamous Prohibition laws of the 1930s, Wil was part of a mass exodus of bartenders who crossed the Straits of Florida in search of work. Setting up shop at hotel bars in Havana’s burgeoning tourist district of Vedado, it’s safe to say they showed the lawmakers back home what they were missing out on. Wil’s recipe went on to become the flagship drink at the hotel, where guests such as Nat King Cole and “Lucky” Luciano were famous fans.

Slotting in nicely alongside its fellow Daiquiri spin-offs (Hemingway, Golden Glove et al.), the Hotel Nacional is often referred to as a ‘winter Daiquiri’. Apricot brandy and a nice aged rum – the richer, the better – come together to give the drink a deeper, darker flavour than its ancestor; a lick of fresh pineapple juice brings a fruity balance. Think of it like the Gold Coast in July. Is it actually winter? Technically. Can you still wear shorts? Probably.

Fancy a winter warmer with a Caribbean twist? Skip the Mulled Wine and give this Havana hero a whirl instead.

Ever eaten a tomato in Europe? They’re totally different from the ones we have here, right? If you haven’t, trust us – they really are. Limes are sort of the same, which is why our Hotel Nacional recipe calls for lemon instead. 

Central and South American limes have a slightly different flavour profile to the ones we get in Australia. They’re a little sweeter and a little less acidic. We’ve tweaked our recipe to reflect that, but if life’s handed you limes instead of lemons, we have a handy trick to offset the difference: add a dash of sugar syrup. You won’t need much – the pineapple juice and apricot brandy do most of the heavy lifting – but the slightest addition of this simple syrup should be enough to round out the edges.