El Malecon cocktail

The Malecón Cocktail is named for El Malecón [ Spanish > "Dike"], the winding beachfront avenue atop the seawall in Havana, Cuba.

There are two versions.

Crosby Gaige (1941)

From his book, Cocktail Guide and Ladies' Companion (1941). It is meant to evoke the leisure and luxury of Old Havana.

Erik Lorincz (2007)

Created by bartender Erik Lorincz when he worked at the Connaught Bar. It was his entry in the "Bacardi Legacy 2007" rum cocktail contest and was one of the reasons he was capped in 2010 to head the revitalized American Bar at the Savoy Hotel.

He said he was inspired to make the cocktail after a trip to Havana.

"I have read that the essence of what it means to be Cuban is to accept the inevitabilities of human existence, that we are born and must die, and to make the very best of the life in between and have as good a time as possible. With this admirable attitude in mind, I wanted to create a drink that could be enjoyed at any time of day or night, and that would be at home in the most elegant London cocktail bar and equally at the Malecon in Havana with music, laughter and tobacco smoke in the air."

The cocktail represents the feelings the avenue evoked in him as he walked along the sea wall - "simplicity, joy, and life's sweetness balanced by a touch of bitterness" .

References

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