Canchanchara
Straight out of the Cuban town of Trinidad, the Canchanchara cocktail was born during the Cuban Revolution when the local guerillas fought against Spain for independence. It was one of the first Cuban cocktails to come out of Cuba and remains a symbolic drink of Cuba’s colonial past, a remembrance of resistance from the 80s. Unlike most cocktails that originated in posh bars or are named after famous writers and socialites, the Canchanchara cocktail has humble origins.
The Mambises, who were the freedom fighters of Cuba, conjured this drink in the fields of Cuba to gear up for their fights. Using the resources available to them, they mixed honey, citrus fruits, and local brandy made from sugarcane. They consumed this to ward off the cold and any respiratory ailments. Defying the Spanish dictionary, this word doesn't have any meaning but it's more of a sentiment. The drink from the mid-1800s was consumed hot from jícaras, jug-like vessels made from the dried fruit of calabash trees; today these are replaced by jugs made from clay. Cuba also has a history of slave trading, which wasn't abolished until 1886. The slaves also were recorded to consume the beverage from the same vessels drunk by the Cuban Mambises.
Over time, the recipe changed hands through different generations through oral remembrance and today it's known throughout the Caribbean country, but mostly in Trinidad. The town is like an open-air museum that works to preserve artefacts from the past, no wonder it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It can be considered the ancestral home of canchánchara, as the city works hard to maintain and promote the drink. In the 1980s, during renovations of one of the oldest colonial mansions in Trinidad, owned by a wealthy local landowner, the workers were said to have consumed canchánchara. This was similar to how others in the surrounding area regularly drank the beverage.
Dating back to 1736, the manor house underwent a respectful reconstruction that maintained awareness of its history and surroundings. It was converted into the La Canchánchara tavern, now a popular spot for travellers to enjoy the drink. Visitors cool off from the heat of the Cuban climate by drinking canchánchara over ice. They also often take home clay containers resembling gourds that have become a souvenir symbolizing the beverage.
Sometime in 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed, the drink also suffered a period of perishment due to the island nation’s sugar production being tied to the Soviet. But recently the drink has seen a resurgence thanks to a renewed interest in mixology and cocktails. Today the drink is shaken, stirred with ice and drunk chilled and as an ode to the past, served in the jícara.
Ingredients
Method
-Mix honey with water in a small bowl or cup to create a smooth syrup.
-Dip the rim of a cocktail glass in the honey-water mixture to coat the bottom and sides.
-Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to the coated glass.
-Fill the glass with cracked ice.
-Pour rum over the ice.
-Vigorously stir from bottom to top, using an up-and-down motion, to incorporate all ingredients.
