Highballs and long drinks · Rum
Orange juice carries three spirits here, and a last pour of grenadine slides to the bottom of the glass for a red-to-gold glow. Served tall over ice, it drinks bright and easy, so it pays to measure carefully.
1 oz
white rume.g. Bacardi · Havana Club · Plantation · Don Q · Flor de Caña
¾ oz
gold tequilae.g. Jose Cuervo · Sierra · Olmeca · Sauza
¾ oz
lime-flavoured vodka or plain vodkae.g. Absolut · Smirnoff · Ketel One
3½ oz
orange juice chilled
¼ oz
lime juice
¼ oz
grenadine
Garnish: Orange slice and cocktail cherry · Ice: Ice cubes
Cuban Sunset
Juicy orange up front with lime sharpness and a sweet cherry note from the grenadine at the bottom. Noticeably strong for a fruity highball.
The Cuban Sunset belongs to the large family of sunrise and sunset highballs that followed the success of the Tequila Sunrise in the 1970s. The idea is always the same: orange juice, a spirit, and a heavy red syrup that sinks and paints a gradient in the glass.
Despite the name, there is no evidence that the drink comes from Cuba. The title nods to the white rum in the mix, while the tequila and lime vodka point to its real home: the American party and bar-menu culture of the late twentieth century, where stacking several spirits in one fruity glass was part of the fun.
No reliable source ties it to Cuba. The name refers to the rum and to the sunset effect of the grenadine.
Grenadine contains much more sugar than juice and spirits, so it is denser and settles at the bottom if poured slowly.
Yes, but choose a not-from-concentrate juice without added sugar, otherwise the drink turns cloying.
The perfect sound
A warm sunset glow over Havana.
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