Hotel Nacional Special

Name: Hotel Nacional Special
Yield: 1 cocktail
Cuisine: Tiki
Ingredients: 2 oz aged Cuban-style rum ([Banks](/library/banks-rum) 7, Probitas); 1.5 oz fresh pineapple juice; 0.75 oz fresh lime juice; 0.5 oz apricot liqueur ([Rothman & Winter](/library/rothman-and-winter) Orchard Apricot); 0.25 oz simple syrup; Pineapple leaf (garnish)

tropical fruity citrus

A pre-revolution Havana original codified during the modern revival. Aged rum, pineapple, apricot, lime—light, dry, sophisticated. The drink that proves tropical doesn’t have to mean sweet.

A Hotel Nacional Special—rum, pineapple, lime, and apricot brandy, the 1930s Havana hotel original

The History

Originally served at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana in the 1930s, the recipe drifted in obscurity until Martin Cate (Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco) codified the modern proportions in his 2016 book and put it back on bar menus across the country. Cate’s version is now the de facto standard, and the drink is widely considered one of the most elegant in the exotic-cocktail repertoire.

Servings

Ingredients

2 oz aged Cuban-style rum (Banks 7, Probitas)
1.5 oz fresh pineapple juice
0.75 oz fresh lime juice
0.5 oz apricot liqueur (Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot)
0.25 oz simple syrup
Pineapple leaf (garnish)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.

Shake hard for 10–12 seconds.

Double-strain into a chilled coupe.

Garnish with a pineapple leaf.