cuban cocktail

2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)
1 dash Maraschino (1/4 oz Luxardo)
1 liquor glass French Vermouth (1 oz Noilly Prat Dry or 1 oz Dolin Blanc)
2 liquor glass Dry Spanish Sherry (2 oz Lustau Amontillado)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
At the end of the bar tools talk, we were provided with parting gifts that included some of Cocktail Kingdom's reprints from their Mud Puddle line. Therefore, for a drink that night, I delved into Louis' Mixed Drinks from 1906 and found the Cuban Cocktail. Of the three other Cuban Cocktails on the blog, this had a slight overlap with the Cuban from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars more so than the Cognac-based No. 2 or the rum-based No. 6. I first made this Cuban Cocktail utilizing dry vermouth, but the balance was rather dry considering that the only sweetness was coming from the Maraschino amidst the drying other components, so I repeated the drink with better success for my palate with blanc vermouth. Once prepared, both versions offered up a nutty, oxidized aroma to the nose with the blanc vermouth one sharing a floral note here. Next, red grape with hints of cherry on the sip was either dry or semi-sweet depending on the vermouth choice. And finally, the swallow gave forth a nutty combination of sherry and Maraschino with an orange and herbal finish; the blanc take on the drink also donated delightful floral notes here.