This article first appeared in the Drinks International Rum Supplement which can be read in full here
It takes a lot to make a cocktail worth travelling for. After all, flights aren’t cheap and the fleeting pleasures of flavour can only be so enticing. But that tune starts to change when the bar in which a cocktail is served has greater historical or pop culture significance that ups the ante. In other words, there’s some substantial magic of the space beyond the contents of a cocktail glass.
Maybe you can sit in the same booth at the Artesian where Rihanna once spent an evening guzzling cocktails, or possibly it’s enjoying a popular cocktail in the place where it was created, such as having a Hanky Panky at the American Bar at The Savoy. As Simone Caporale, co-owner of Sips and owner of Boadas in Barcelona, says, it’s all about context. “Having a Bellini at Harry’s Bar in Venice [where the cocktail was created] is worth travelling for; but having a Bellini elsewhere, even if it’s at a beautiful hotel bar in London, is perhaps not worth travelling for,” says Caporale. “Why? Because the context is different.”
When it comes to eating and drinking, where you enjoy your food and drink and who prepares it for you makes all the difference. Anyone who has tried to make their grandmother’s red sauce recipe at home, only to discover that “it just tastes different”, is familiar with this phenomenon. And so, the context, in addition to the deliciousness, is imperative for a cocktail to be worth journeying for. For adventurous rum lovers, we’ve curated five must-have rum cocktails around the world – all of which, both modern and old, are exceptional in taste, with that destination-worthy je ne sais quoi.
Mojito at Café La Trova, Miami
White Cuban rum, fresh lime juice, fresh mint leaves, soda water, Angostura bitters to garnish
At Café La Trova in Miami’s Little Havana neighbourhood, guests aren’t just served by bartenders, they’re served by cantineros – a rare breed of rigorously trained bartender who champions Cuban cocktail history through a robust repertoire of memorised recipes and techniques.
With fewer than 1,500 cantineros remaining around the world, it’s a title held with great pride and, as a travelling cocktail enthusiast, tracking down one of these unicorns is nearly impossible unless you know where to find them. Luckily at La Trova, where the well-groomed cantineros deftly mix cocktails while shimmying and shaking to the beat of Latin tunes, the staff is full of these adept bartenders who know how to mix a fine Daiquiri or Mojito. And it’s the latter cocktail on Café La Trova’s classic-led list that should be on the bucket list of any nomadic barfly.
“At Café La Trova, our Mojito Criollo is restoring the reputation of this classic Cuban cocktail, which is often mistaken for a mere spiked lemonade,” says cantinero Andy Cabrera, son of the bar’s owner Julio Cabrera. “What makes our Mojito Criollo truly special, though, is the experience. Served by our seasoned cantineros – bartenders with over two decades of experience in Cuba – you’ll sip this iconic drink while enjoying live music, and perhaps even joining the dancing on stage. A Mojito at Café La Trova is more than a drink – it’s an experience every visitor should savour.”
Escape (If You Like Piña Coladas) at Ave at Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, Grand Cayman
Escape rum blend, Coco Lopez, fresh pineapple juice, lime juice, cava
A modern classic in the making. The decadent serve, which falls somewhere between the creamy and carbonated Ramos Gin Fizz and the cult classic Piña Colada, debuted on Ave’s menu in 2019 and never left. If it did, the people would revolt; it’s that impressive. The best part, and why it’s destined for greatness, is its replicability.
The Escape is a simple blend of fresh lime and pineapple juices (the latter is especially delicious in the cocktail’s Caribbean home), Coco Lopez (the superlative coconut cream) and pineapple and coconut-infused white rum, topped with sparkling wine.
“Being an inside Caribbean Mediterranean fine dining experience… Pato [ex-head bartender] and I gave ourselves a brief to create a Piña Colada-esque drink that would be suitable for pre-dinner, but still encapsulate the Escapism of the classic sand-in-the-toes favourite,” says Jim Wrigley, beverage manager at the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, about the popular cocktail. Served in a refined flute glass and garnished with a stripe of toasted coconut-demerara sugar blend designed to look like sand, the Escape is the full package. A marriage-worthy tipple that, surely, lives rent-free in the brains of all those who’ve lapped up rounds of it.
Boadas at Boadas, Barcelona
Cuban rum, sherry, orange curaçao, Dubonnet, Campari
A trip to Boadas, Barcelona’s oldest cocktail bar which opened in 1933, is a requisite pilgrimage for any rum cocktail enthusiast or history lover. Its founder, Miguel Boadas, first learned his trade at El Floridita in Havana – a bar known for its airy, thrown Daiquiris, charming ambiance and life-size bronze statue of Ernest Hemingway, a regular of Floridita, positioned in his favourite spot at the end of the bar. In 2022, once Simone Caporale of Sips (The World’s Best Bar 2023) fame was handed the reins to Boadas, this temple of rum cocktails and thrown Martinis – a nod to the bar’s Cuban roots – was finally restored to its 1930s glory days. In addition to the bartenders getting a rejuvenated look with their striking, pastel green blazers, Caporale also revived some historic recipes for the bar’s menu – its classic Boadas cocktail, included.
“The Boadas has always been made with Cuban rum, Dubonnet, orange curaçao and a dash of bitters,” says Caporale. “But the palates of cocktail drinkers have changed since the 1930s when the drink was created, so we have adjusted the recipe to appeal to the modern palate with a bit of sherry and Campari.” To have a Boadas at its namesake bar is as spiritual an experience as a Catholic finally making it to the Vatican – except the former is a dash more intoxicating.
Champagne Piña Colada at Coupette, London
Rum blend, coconut sorbet, pineapple juice, pineapple cordial, champagne
Pop by Buckingham Palace, take a ride on the London Eye, eat a sausage roll from Borough Market’s Ginger Pig, and drink a Champagne Piña Colada at Coupette. Since its debut on the bar’s opening menu in 2017, this simply delicious blended drink mixed with chilled Champagne has rapidly climbed its way to legendary status, and anyone who has laid lips on a glass of it knows why. It’s frighteningly delicious.
“It’s hard to define what a modern classic is or would be in today’s bar landscape, but the reason our signature Colada has become really popular and crossed borders is its accessibility,” explains Franck Dedieu, creative director at Coupette. “Guests know what to expect from a taste point of view, but the champagne brings an unusual balance to the drink, making you want another one instantly.
Daiquiri at El Floridita, Havana
Cuban rum, fresh lime juice, cane sugar, maraschino liqueur
First opened in 1817 under the name Piña de Plata, and renamed El Floridita in 1914, this world-famous bar is the birthplace of the blended Daiquiri. As such, like it was for the author Ernest Hemingway – for whom the bar was a favourite haunt – a journey to El Floridita must be filled with a minimum of three (for context, Hemingway’s record is said to be 16 double Daiquiris, but wisdom suggests that volume is superfluous).
The Floridita Daiquiri blends Cuban white rum (Havana Club), lime juice, cane sugar and a touch of maraschino liqueur with crushed ice and is served up in a coupe.
For the cocktail faithful, and even celebrities such as Pierce Brosnan and the late Sean Connery who, in proper Bond fashion, were familiar with the iconic Floridita’s historical significance and deemed it worthy of a visit, a journey to the Daiquiri’s spiritual home is one worth considering.
