El Presidente
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1½ fluid ounces of a Spanish-style aged rum
(pictured: Havana Club 7 Años of Cuba)
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¾ fluid ounce of a vermouth blanc
(recommended: C. Comoz Vermouth de Chambéry Blanc¹)
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½ fluid ounce of orange curaçao
(pictured: Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)
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1 teaspoon of pomegranate grenadine
(pictured: Liber & Co. Real Grenadine)
Stir all of the ingredients with ice in frozen mixing glass and strain into a frozen cocktail glass. Express and discard an orange peel and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
This recipe comes from Julio Cabrera who makes this classic Cuban cocktail more spirit-forward and clarifies the need for a vermouth blanc rather than the often-cited dry French vermouth. This vermouth switch is allegedly more historically accurate rather than a modern update. I can also personally state that this cocktail is simply not very good when a dry vermouth is used.