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Canchánchara
The ancestral Cuban rum sour made with honey and fresh lime.
Base spirit
Rum
Style
Sour
Glassware
Rocks glass
Technique
Build
The Canchánchara is widely considered the oldest known Cuban cocktail, pre-dating the Daiquiri. It combines aguardiente (or raw rum), honey, and lime, historically served warm in clay cups to soothe colonial fighters, but now served over ice. The honey provides a floral, viscous sweetness that stands up to the raw sugarcane notes of the rum better than simple syrup. It is a rustic, communal drink that forms the backbone of Cuban cantinero history.
Did you know?
“Cuban guerrillas (Mambises) used the drink as a nutritional tonic and painkiller during the 19th-century wars for independence.”
Source:Cuban history archives; PunchDrink
Bartender's Note
Dissolve the honey with the lime juice or a splash of warm water before adding ice to prevent it from seizing.
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How to make the Canchánchara
- 1Add lime juice and honey syrup to a clay mug or rocks glass
- 2Stir vigorously to integrate
- 3Add rum and fill the vessel with crushed ice
- 4Stir aggressively to chill
- 5Garnish with a lime wedge
