A Classic Cuban Cocktail to Please Wine and Rum Fans
Courtesy Thad Vogler, owner, Obispo, San Francisco
Though wine lovers may associate “Obispo” with California’s San Luis Obispo, it’s also the name of one of the most famous streets in Havana, where bishops resided in centuries past.
Another place that bears the name Obispo is a new rum-focused bar in San Francisco, owned by Thad Vogler, which serves a pink drink called the Obispo de Cuba.
The cocktail was one of many discovered by Charles H. Baker Jr., a writer and bon vivant noted for drinking his way around the world during the 1930s and ’40s. Yet, the little-known drink, also called the Cuban Bishop, doesn’t appear in any of his books.
Luckily, Erik Adkins, another San Francisco bar pro, spotted it in a 1943 article that Baker penned for Gourmet magazine. This “fairly dry” rum sour was mixed with what Baker said was “good California Claret or Cabernet wine.” Today, Vogler has updated the specs and uses a California Gamay.
- 1½ ounces dry gold rum (Obispo uses Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Gold Rum)
- ½ ounce lime juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup (equal parts raw sugar dissolved in hot water)
- ½ ounce red wine
Combine all ingredients in cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well, and strain into chilled coupe glass.
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