Before we travel back in time, here's a practical gift: the complete ingredient shopping list to build this drink at home. Now, the legend.
The Old Cuban was invented in 2001 by Audrey Saunders, one of the most influential bartenders of the modern era, at the Pegu Club in New York. Saunders wanted to create a Mojito for grown-ups, a cocktail that used aged rum instead of white and elevated everything to a glass of champagne instead of soda — something between a Mojito and a French 75.
The result is one of the most celebrated and imitated cocktails of the contemporary craft cocktail renaissance, and is credited with rehabilitating aged rum in fine American bartending. Saunders and her Pegu Club are also recognized for having formed an entire generation of bartenders, including Jim Meehan and Sam Ross, the father of the Penicillin.
Behind every legendary cocktail there's a well-organized bartender. That's why I recommend a good barman kit like this one on Amazon: it includes everything essential for home bartending, with quality and a fair price. And if you love entertaining, a professional cocktail bar station is the investment that makes every evening feel like a real bar night.