The Old Cuban: A Champagne Cocktail Worth Making
The Old Cuban is a champagne cocktail that combines white rum, fresh lime, mint, simple syrup, and Angostura bitters, topped with bubbly. It's a bright, effervescent drink that takes about five minutes to make and serves one.
- Baserum
- Strength18% ABV, approximate
- Methodshake
- Glassflute
- Icecracked
- Difficultyeasy
- Total3 min
- Serves1
- Bright
- Herbal
- Dry
- Effervescent
- Jigger
- Cocktail shaker
- Muddler
- Strainer
- Fine strainer
- Champagne flute
The Old Cuban is what happens when a Mojito grows up and gets a glass of champagne instead of soda water. You get the same bright mint and lime you know from the classic, but the dry bubbles and a couple of dashes of bitters turn it into something more elegant. It's a drink that works at a dinner party and still feels right on a hot afternoon. This version keeps the proportions honest: just enough rum to hold the citrus, a proper amount of mint, and champagne added last so you don't lose the fizz. You'll make one drink in about five minutes once the lime is juiced. It's the kind of cocktail that looks like more effort than it is, which is exactly what you want.
About the Old Cuban
The Old Cuban is a modern classic, created in the early 2000s by bartender Audrey Saunders at New York's Pegu Club. It builds on the structure of a Mojito but swaps the soda for champagne and adds Angostura bitters for depth. The drink's name nods to the Cuban roots of the rum and mint while the champagne gives it a distinctly cosmopolitan finish. It is typically served in a champagne flute, which keeps the carbonation lively and the aromatics concentrated. The cocktail has become a staple in bars that take their classics seriously, and its balance of bright, herbal, and dry flavors has ensured its staying power.
Why it works
- 1The dry champagne cuts through the sweetness of the simple syrup, keeping the drink crisp rather than cloying.
- 2Muddling the mint gently releases its oils without shredding the leaves, which would make the drink bitter.
- 3Shaking the rum, lime, and syrup together dilutes and chills the base, so the champagne stays fizzy when added.
- 4Angostura bitters add a layer of spice that bridges the rum and the bubbles, making the drink taste more complex than its ingredient list suggests.
- 5Straining into a flute concentrates the aromatics and keeps the drink looking clean and elegant.
Ingredients
Serves 1.
6 leaves fresh mint leaves, gently slapped between your palmsSlapping the mint releases the oils without bruising the leaves into bitterness.
1 oz simple syrupUse a 1:1 sugar to water syrup for the right sweetness.
1 oz fresh lime juice, from about one limeFresh juice is non-negotiable; bottled lime tastes flat.
1.5 oz white rumA light, dry rum like a Cuban-style or Puerto Rican white rum works best.
2 dashes Angostura bittersThe spice adds depth and ties the rum to the champagne.
2 oz champagne or dry sparkling wine, chilledBrut or extra dry works best; sweeter sparkling wine will make the drink cloying.
ingredients
The rum matters. Use a white rum with some character, like a Cuban-style or a lightly aged Puerto Rican rum. The mint should be fresh and green; avoid any leaves that are wilted or blackening. For the champagne, a dry brut is ideal. You don't need a vintage bottle, but it should be dry. The lime juice must be freshly squeezed. Bottled lime juice will give the drink a metallic edge that ruins the whole thing. Simple syrup is just equal parts sugar and water, heated until the sugar dissolves and cooled.
You need: jigger, cocktail shaker, muddler, strainer, fine strainer, champagne flute.
Method
Muddle the mint
Put the mint leaves in the bottom of your shaker. Add the simple syrup and gently press down with the muddler, twisting about three or four times. You want to release the oils, not pulverize the leaves into shreds.
Look for: The mint leaves look darker and slightly bruised, and you can smell the mint clearly mixing with the syrup.
Common mistake: Muddling too hard or for too long tears the leaves and releases chlorophyll, which makes the drink bitter and cloudy.
Pour in the lime juice, rum, and bitters. Fill the shaker about two-thirds full with cracked ice. Shake hard for about twelve seconds—long enough to chill and dilute the mixture properly.
Look for: The shaker gets frosty on the outside, and you feel the contents get colder through the metal.
Common mistake: Shaking too long makes the drink watery. Twelve seconds is a long time; trust the frost on the shaker.
Double-strain into a chilled champagne flute. The fine strainer catches the bits of mint and any ice slivers, leaving you with a clear, bright liquid.
Look for: The liquid in the flute is a pale, slightly cloudy yellow-green, completely free of leaf fragments.
Common mistake: Skipping the fine strainer leaves tiny mint specks in the drink. They look messy and keep releasing flavor into the drink.
Slowly pour the chilled champagne down the side of the glass, tilting it slightly to keep the bubbles. Give it a gentle stir with a bar spoon to combine, then serve immediately.
Look for: The champagne forms a lively layer of tiny bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass, and the color lightens to a pale straw.
Common mistake: Pouring the champagne straight into the center of the drink kills the carbonation and mixes it too aggressively, leaving it flat.
Tips from the bar
- 1Chill the flute in the freezer for ten minutes before you start. A cold glass keeps the drink effervescent longer.
- 2Slap the mint leaves between your palms before muddling. It wakes up the oils without the risk of over-muddling.
- 3Use a jigger. The difference between 1.5 and 2 ounces of rum is the difference between a balanced drink and a boozy one.
- 4If you have a large-format ice cube, shake with one of those instead of cracked ice. It dilutes more slowly and gives you more control.
- 5Don't skip the bitters. Two dashes don't sound like much, but they're what keeps the drink from tasting like a flat mojito.
Variations
- For a richer version, use a lightly aged rum like an Añejo. It adds vanilla notes that hold up against the champagne.
- Swap the champagne for a dry Prosecco. It's a touch fruitier and often less expensive, but the drink stays bright.
- Add half an ounce of orange liqueur, like Curaçao, for a sweeter, more aromatic finish.
- Make it a punch by multiplying the rum, lime, syrup, and bitters, then topping with a bottle of champagne in a punch bowl.
Substitutions
- If you don't have a muddler, use the back of a wooden spoon. It works, but be gentler.
- No champagne? Use a dry sparkling wine like Cava. The character changes slightly, but it's still a good drink.
- Don't have Angostura? Use any aromatic bitters. They won't be identical, but they'll add the same depth.
- For a non-alcoholic version, replace the rum with a white rum alternative and the champagne with a sparkling water or non-alcoholic sparkling wine.
Serving, storing, batching
Serve the Old Cuban with light, salty snacks. Oysters, fried shrimp, or even a bowl of olives work well. The bubbles and citrus cut through the salt and fat, and the drink's low ABV means you can have one with the first course and still taste your dinner.
This is a drink to make fresh. The mint will discolor and the champagne will go flat within minutes. If you're prepping for a party, mix the rum, lime, and syrup in a pitcher and keep it chilled, but add the mint and champagne only when you're ready to serve.
For a crowd, scale the rum, lime, syrup, and bitters, and keep them in a sealed container in the fridge. When it's time to serve, pour 3.5 ounces of the mix into each flute, top with 2 ounces of champagne, and stir gently. The dilution from shaking is lost in the batch, so stir the mix with ice before serving or add an extra ounce of water per batch.
Questions people ask
The Mojito uses soda water and is built in the glass over ice. The Old Cuban is shaken, strained into a flute, and topped with champagne instead of soda. The bitters also add a layer of spice that a Mojito doesn't have.
An Old Cuban contains white rum, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, mint leaves, Angostura bitters, and champagne. The first five ingredients are shaken with ice and then strained into a flute, which is topped with the champagne.
A Cuban old fashioned is a different drink. It typically uses rum instead of whiskey, with sugar and bitters, and sometimes a lime twist. The Old Cuban is a separate cocktail with mint and champagne.
The Mojito is Cuba's most famous classic, but the Daiquiri and the Cuba Libre are also iconic. The Old Cuban is a modern invention that draws on the Mojito's structure.
Cuba is known for its rum, particularly white rums made from sugarcane. These rums are the base of most classic Cuban cocktails, including the Mojito and the Daiquiri.
The Mojito is the most recognized classic Cuban cocktail, followed by the Daiquiri. Both rely on Cuban white rum, lime, and sugar.
A Cuban Martini is not a standard cocktail. For a rum-based drink served up, the Old Cuban is a better place to start.
The Mojito is Cuba's most famous drink, made with rum, mint, lime, sugar, and soda water. It's a refreshing classic served worldwide.
Use the back of a wooden spoon or the handle end of a rolling pin to press the mint gently. The goal is to release the oils without shredding the leaves.
Yes. A light, dry rum is traditional, but you can use a lightly aged rum for a richer, spicier drink. Avoid dark or heavily spiced rums, which will overpower the champagne.
Yes. Use any dry sparkling wine, like Cava or Prosecco. The drink will be slightly different, but the structure holds up.
A dry brut champagne is the best choice. It has enough acidity to balance the syrup and sugar, and it won't make the drink too sweet.
Last word
The Old Cuban is a drink that rewards precision. Get the muddle right, measure the rum, and don't drown it in champagne. When you do, you have a cocktail that's bright, dry, and a little bit special.
