The El Presidente trades the Daiquiri's bright sourness for a softer, spirit-forward poise — white rum and blanc vermouth in equal measure, stirred cold until silky and served up. A whisper of curaçao lends gentle orange depth, a touch of grenadine adds a rosy hint of sweetness, and a coil of orange peel perfumes every sip.
Garnish: Orange Peel
Stirred · Coupe · Up
add
Combine the white rum, blanc vermouth, curaçao, and grenadine in a mixing glass.
stir
Add ice and stir well until thoroughly chilled and diluted.
strain
Strain into a chilled coupe.
express
Express an orange twist over the surface.
garnish
Drop in the orange twist to serve (an optional cherry may be added).
Who made it first remains unsettled. One account credits Eddie Woelke, an American bartender who came to Havana around 1920 and is said to have christened the drink for General Mario García Menocal; a rival claim dates it to the Vista Alegre in Havana as early as 1915, and even the honoured president is disputed, with Gerardo Machado named in place of Menocal. Whatever its birth, it won favour with Cuba's upper class through the years of American Prohibition. The original formula calls for blanc vermouth, though dry vermouth is often swapped in by mistake.