Ingredients
What goes into the still (industrial)
- 1000 Lsugarcane molasses diluted to 18–20 Brix
- cultured distillery yeast, pitched at 30–32°C (85–90°F)
- soft filtered water
- ex-bourbon American white oak barrels
- activated charcoal for filtering
Daiquiri Natural, the Havana serve
- 60 mllight Cuban rum (3-year carta blanca)
- 25 mllime juice, freshly squeezed
- 15 mlsimple syrup (1:1)
- 1 handfulcrushed ice, plus 5 ice cubes for shaking
- 1lime wheel, to garnish
Directions
- Understand the raw material: Cuban rum is a molasses rum, not a cane-juice rhum. Molasses left after sugar crystallisation is diluted to about 18–20 Brix and acidified.
- Ferment for 24–36 hours at 30–32°C (85–90°F) with a cultured yeast strain kept alive in the distillery for decades. The wash finishes at 6–8% ABV, smelling of banana and warm cane.
- Distil in a continuous multi-column still to a high, clean strength. This column character, not pot-still funk, is what makes the Cuban style light and dry.
- Reduce the spirit and rest it in used American oak for at least two years as aguardiente, the base stock every maestro ronero works from.
- Filter through activated charcoal to strip colour, then blend, return it to oak and age again. A carta blanca is a genuinely aged rum stripped back to clear.
- For the serve, chill a coupe. Shake rum, lime and syrup hard with cubed ice for 12 seconds until the tin frosts.
- Double-strain into the frozen coupe, or pour over crushed ice for the Daiquiri Frappe of the Floridita. Garnish with a lime wheel and drink immediately, while it is painfully cold.
Technique
- Cuban rum is defined by law and by the maestro ronero system: ageing, charcoal filtration, then re-ageing. Clear does not mean unaged.
- The dry, light profile exists because Cuban distillers moved to column stills in the 19th century, chasing a cleaner spirit than the heavy rums of Jamaica.
- Never try to make spirit at home: distilling without a licence is illegal in most countries and badly cut spirit carries methanol.
Substitutions
- No Cuban rum where you live? Any light, dry, column-still aged rum from Puerto Rico, Panama or the Dominican Republic is the closest match.
Variations
- Mojito: 50 ml rum, 25 ml lime, 2 tsp sugar, a bruised hierbabuena sprig, crushed ice, topped with soda.
- Cuba Libre: 50 ml rum, the juice of half a lime dropped into the glass, cola over ice.
History
Facundo Bacardi began charcoal-filtering and barrel-ageing rum in Santiago in 1862, creating the light Cuban style that made the island’s cocktails possible.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cuban rum?
Cuban rum is a wine & spirit from Cuba: light, dry aged rum drunk neat or built into Havana’s classic cocktails. Facundo Bacardi began charcoal-filtering and barrel-ageing rum in Santiago in 1862, creating the light Cuban style that made the island’s cocktails possible.
How long does Cuban rum take to make?
Cuban rum takes 20 min of preparation and 3 years minimum ageing of cooking. The recipe makes 1 bottle (700 ml) plus a serve for 1. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Cuban rum?
Yes, within limits. No Cuban rum where you live? Any light, dry, column-still aged rum from Puerto Rico, Panama or the Dominican Republic is the closest match.
What is the most important thing to get right in Cuban rum?
Never try to make spirit at home: distilling without a licence is illegal in most countries and badly cut spirit carries methanol.
