malecon

1 3/4 oz White Rum (Denizen)
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Ruby Port (Sandeman Tawny)
2 tsp Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)
2 tsp Sugar (Cane Crystals)
3 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an ice cube. Note: I dissolved the sugar in the lime juice first.

To cap off Sunday two weeks ago, I reached for Paul Clarke's The Cocktail Chronicles where I came across the Malecon. I immediately recognized that name from Thad Volger's By the Smoke and the Smell where he documented his trip to Cuba to learn about its rum production. Here, the drink was crafted by Erik Lorincz at the American Bar at London's Savoy Hotel, and it was indeed named after Havana's waterfront promenade.
The grape from the Malecon's port was brightened by lime notes on the nose. Next, the lime and grape intermingled on the sip, and the swallow paired the rum with nutty sherry that led to an anise-herbal finish.