Hotel Nacional Special
Montana Bar, Hong Kong
Complexity
Alcohol Level
4/5
Medium
Type
Sour
Preparation
Shaken
Glass
Coupe
Ice
INGREDIENTS
Choeng Doi Blanc • 45 ml / 1.5 oz
Sour Pineapple* • 20 ml / 0.7 oz
Apricot Brandy • 10 ml / 0.3 oz
Lime Cordial* • 5 ml / 0.2 oz
Garnish Dried orange wheel Angostura bitters Sour Pineapple
Pineapple juice • 1,000 ml
Malic acid • 32 g
Citric acid • 22 g
Lime Cordial
Fresh lime juice • 500 ml
Caster sugar • 500 g
Lime zest • 50 g
Citric acid • 6.5 g
Malic acid • 3.5 g
Ascorbic acid • 2 g
STEPS
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake vigorously until well chilled.
Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Add three drops of angostura bitters and draw them into a comma shape.
Garnish with dried lemon wheel.
NOTES:
Malic acid, citric acid, and ascorbic acid are widely available from baking, brewing, and food ingredient suppliers. If you don't already have them, they're inexpensive and useful ingredients to keep on hand for cocktails and homemade mixers.
If you'd rather not make the house ingredients, try our Pineapple Daiquiri recipe instead. It delivers a similar flavour profile using fresh ingredients that are easier to find.
HISTORY
The Hotel Nacional Special was created in the 1930s at the legendary Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana, where it became a favourite among international travellers during Cuba's golden age of cocktails. Combining sugarcane spirit, pineapple, apricot, and lime, it remains one of the most elegant tropical classics, balancing bright fruit with a dry, refreshing finish.
Our version is inspired by the recipe served at Montana Bar in Hong Kong, whose interpretation helped shape the balance of our own. Built around Choeng Doi Blanc, it highlights the fresh sugarcane character of the spirit while using house-made sour pineapple and lime cordial to bring brightness, texture, and complexity to this timeless Cuban classic.
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