Cuban Cocktail Recipes - Straight From the Source
Enjoying the first of many Cuban cocktails on our 2025 NYE Cuba trip.
Cuban cocktails aren't just a side note on our Cuba trips—they're essential to the whole experience (see extensive photo gallery below).
And for good reason. We have access to rum that makes everything in your liquor cabinet look sad, calabash vessels that actually enhance the flavor (not just for show), and mint so fresh it makes your standard garnish look like it came from the back of your fridge.
After my last trip, I literally DoorDashed mojito ingredients to my house while still on the plane home. Then had to make a mad dash from my car to save the mint from Wisconsin's welcome-home freeze. No regrets.
"Can I get that recipe?" is probably the most common message in my inbox after people return from Cuba, second to “what’s that cowboy’s number?”
The secret to these cocktail? Lorena. She's not your typical bartender—she's a local mixologist who invites our group into her Havana home and shares how Cubans actually make these drinks. Explore her website here.
These aren't the watered-down versions you've had at all-inclusives. These are the real recipes that have survived generations—authentic, strong, and surprisingly simple once you know the techniques.
Consider this your invitation to drink like you're still in Havana, even when you're not.
Mojito Cubano
Ingredientes (Ingredients)
2 oz rum (In our cocktail class, Lorena used Santiago Añejo Tradición)
1/2 lime cut in 4 pieces
1 mint branch
2 teaspoons of brown sugar
4 ice cubes (just fill the glass!)
2 ounces of sparkling water
mint for garnish
Optional: a few drops of angostura to balance the flavor
Elaboración Paso A Paso (Step by Step Preparation)
Add the sugar and the lime into the glass and muddle until the sugar dissolves.
Add the mint, and muddle, but not too much. The key is not to break the leaves, but to release their essential oils.
Fill glass with ice, add the rum and top the glass with sparkling water.
Add a few drops of angostura bitters (optional)
Stir, add a straw and garnish with a slice of lime or mint leaves.
El Negrón
Ingredientes (Ingredients)
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 lime
6 basil leaves
1.5 oz sugarcane Aguardiente
1 cup crushed ice
Jicara (cup or bowl made from the dried outer shell of a calabash fruit)
Muddler
Elaboración Paso A Paso (Step by Step Preparation)
Cut the 1/2 lime into 4 small wedges.
Using a mortar and pestle, add the basil leaves, limes and honey—muddle with the pestle until you get a liquidy mix of lime juice and honey.
Add the Aguardiente into mixture and stir.
Fill the jicara (or glass if you aren’t close to a calabash tree) with crushed ice and incorporate the mixture.
Daiquiri Frappé
Ingredientes (Ingredients)
45 ml white rum
1 lime
1 tablespoon white cane sugar
10 ice cubes
Optional: fresh fruit
Notes: If you are going to add any flavor, it’s best to add real fruit for a creamier texture.
If using natural juices, add frozen and use less ice.
If using fruit, use spiced rum.
Elaboración Paso A Paso (Step by Step Preparation)
Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend for 2-3 minutes.
Serve in glasses with a straw.
So there you have it—the liquid souvenirs that don't require extra suitcase space. Making these at home won't replace the experience of sipping them in a sun-drenched Havana courtyard with new friends, but they'll definitely bring back memories until your next Cuban adventure. Just promise me you'll use good rum. And plenty of ice. And fresh limes. Actually, just get on a plane. 😉
Ready to drink these where they were born? Our 2025 NYE Cuba trip is filling up faster than your glass at Lorena's. We're keeping the groups small (because nobody wants to be part of a tourist herd), but that means spots are limited. If you've been waiting for a sign to book that trip where you'll actually remember the people, experiences, and yes, even the hangovers—this is it. Just bring your passport and curiosity (and a few other things, but we’ll get to that later). We'll handle the rest.
