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Julio Cabrera’s top Cuban cocktails

Cuban bartender Julio Cabrera has channelled the traditions of his home country into every aspect of his on-trade career. Here, he lists his favourite Cuban cocktails to shake and stir behind the stick.

Cuban-born Julio Cabrera opened his Miami bar Cafe la Trova earlier this year

Cabrera has worked in the on-trade for 30 years and through his career he has held positions behind the bar in his native Cuba, as well as Italy, Mexico and the US, where he can now be found heading up Cafe la Trova in Miami.

During his time in the on-trade, Cabrera has worked hard to educate the next generation of bartenders and share Cuban bartending practices with anyone willing to learn.

“One of my goals was always to teach the new generation because they need to learn from people about what they should be doing behind the bar,” he said.

While speaking with Cabrera for the October edition of The Spirits Business magazine, we discovered the top classic Cuban cocktails Cabrera believes any bartender worth their salt should know how to make.

Click through our gallery to see Cabrera’s favourite Cuban cocktails.

To read the full interview with Julio Cabrera, see the October issue of The Spirits Business, out now.

Daiquiri

Cabrera said: “The first I would say is the Daiquiri. When people go to a bar, they sometimes measure how good the place is by how good the Daiquiri is. It’s just three ingredients, but it can be hard to make a good Daiquiri properly – you have to know a lot of details.”

At Cafe la Trova, Cabrera makes his Daiquiri with Bacardi Superior Rum, lime juice and sugar.

Mojito

Cabrera said: “The Mojito is the most popular Cuban cocktail, but 99% of the time that you get one anywhere in the world it is wrong – it’s not the classic Mojito and it’s not right. Everywhere I go it’s completely different, and everywhere I go nobody is drinking a true classic Mojito.”

Cafe la Trova serves the Mojito Criollo, made with Cruzan light rum, lime juice, sugar, mint, soda water and bitters.

El Presidente

Cabrera said: “The only other classic Cuban cocktail I like is the El Presidente. For me, the Mojito, the Daiquiri and the El Presidente are the most important [Cuban cocktails] and bartenders need to know how to make and balance these cocktails.” 

At Cafe la Trova, imbibers can sample the El Presidente made with Banks 7 Rum, dry curaçao, blanco vermouth and grenadine.

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