Northern Rice
Refreshing and subtly sweet, with notes of pandan and sticky rice, custard, and shiso.
Inspired by: Montana Bar (Hong Kong)
Hotel Nacional Special
Bright, tropical, and refreshing, a modern take on one of Cuba's most enduring cocktail classics.
- Complexity
- 3/5
- Alcohol level
- Medium
- Type
- Daiquiri & Gimlet
- Preparation
- Shaken
- Glass
- Coupe
Ingredients
Choeng Doi Blanc45 ml1.5 oz
Sour Pineapple*20 ml0.7 oz
Apricot Brandy10 ml0.3 oz
Lime Cordial*5 ml0.2 oz
Garnish
Dried orange wheel
Angostura bitters
Sour Pineapple
Pineapple juice1,000 ml
Malic acid32 g
Citric acid22 g
Lime Cordial
Fresh lime juice500 ml16.75 oz
Caster sugar500 g
Lime zest50 g
Citric acid6.5 g
Malic acid3.5 g
Ascorbic acid2 g
Steps
- 01Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- 02Shake vigorously until well chilled.
- 03Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.
- 04Add three drops of angostura bitters and draw them into a comma shape.
- 05Garnish 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.
In the bottle
Choeng Doi Blanc. Perpetual blend, edition no. 2. Pure sugarcane juice, copper pot and column still. 70 cL.
Choeng Doi Blanc
