About the Old Cuban cocktail
The Old Cuban is a modern classic made with aged rum, mint, lime juice, sugar, Angostura bitters, and Champagne. It is bright, minty, and refreshing, with the aged rum and bitters adding depth while the Champagne makes the drink feel sharper, drier, and more elegant.
Created by Audrey Saunders in 2001 at Bemelmans Bar in New York’s Carlyle Hotel, the Old Cuban has one of the clearer origin stories on the IBA list. Saunders famously described it as “a Mojito in a little black dress,” and the drink delivers exactly that: a dressed-up Champagne variation on the rum, mint, and lime formula that became a standout of the modern cocktail revival.
