Canchánchara

Ingredients

Drink

• 60 mlaguardiente de caña, or a light unaged rum
• 2 tbsphoney
• juice of 1 lime
• 30 mlwater
• ice

To serve

• a small unglazed clay cup
• a lime wheel, optional

Directions

1. Use a real honey with some character, since a bland one disappears entirely. Honey does not dissolve in cold spirit, and stirred in straight it sinks to the bottom in a lump.
2. Mix the honey with a little warm water into a thin syrup before anything else goes in. Roughly equal parts honey and warm water gives a syrup that mixes readily.
3. Use freshly squeezed lime juice rather than bottled, since the acid is most of the flavour. Squeeze it gently by hand rather than pressing hard, which extracts bitter oils from the pith.
4. Use it immediately, since lime juice goes bitter as it stands. The clay keeps the drink cool and it is said to add a faint earthy note.
5. Put the loosened honey and lime juice in the cup and stir them together thoroughly. Add the spirit and stir again. Taste it: it should be sour first, then sweet, with the spirit clearly present behind both.
6. Adjust with more honey syrup or more lime. It is a short, strong drink rather than a long one, so keep the water to a splash.
7. Serve it very cold, which makes the spirit far more approachable. Serve it immediately with a lime wheel if you like.

Technique

• Honey rather than sugar is what distinguishes it from a daiquiri.
• The honey must be loosened first or it sinks in a lump.
• Its mambises origin is tradition rather than documented history.

Substitutions

• Light unaged white rum in place of aguardiente de caña.
• A short tumbler in place of a clay cup.

Variations

• Served without ice, as the older version.
• Made with aged rum, which is smoother.
• With a splash of soda, as a longer drink.

History

Associated with Trinidad in central Cuba and with the mambises, the 19th-century independence fighters said to have drunk it in the hills.

Frequently asked questions

What is Canchánchara?

Canchánchara is a cocktail from Cuba: cane spirit with honey and lime, served in a small clay cup. Associated with Trinidad in central Cuba and with the mambises, the 19th-century independence fighters said to have drunk it in the hills.

How long does Canchánchara take to make?

Canchánchara takes 5 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 1 drink. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Canchánchara?

Yes, within limits. Light unaged white rum in place of aguardiente de caña. A short tumbler in place of a clay cup.

What is the most important thing to get right in Canchánchara?

Use freshly squeezed lime juice rather than bottled, since the acid is most of the flavour. Squeeze it gently by hand rather than pressing hard, which extracts bitter oils from the pith.