meet el presidente

1 1/2 oz Plantation 5 Year Rum (El Dorado 5 Year)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Dry Curaçao or Cointreau (Cointreau)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
2 small Strawberries
1 sprig Mint (8 leaf)

Muddle strawberries and mint, add the rest of the ingredients, and shake with ice. Double strain into a cocktail coupe and garnish with a mint sprig.

The other drink from Amanda Schuster's Duran Duran cocktails article that caught my eye was Marcie Andersen's Meet El Presidente that she created at Restaurant Daniel in New York City. The song's lyrics made her think of "Éva Perón, who was the famous wife of Argentinian President Juan Perón. (And Evita is definitely my favorite musical of all time.) It's a summer riff on an El Presidente with Fernet, which is very commonly consumed in Argentina." The Fernet connection to Argentina had been solidified in my mind since making the Eva Perón several years ago, and the combination of strawberries and mint pleasantly reminded me of the Blanche DuBois.
The Meet El Presidente danced beneath the nose with strawberry, caramel, mint, and menthol aromas. Next, strawberry, orange, lime, and caramel on the sip transitioned into rum, strawberry, and Fernet's herbal flavors on the swallow. Overall, the balance curiously alternated between light and summery and bracingly herbal and aggressive.