Cubanita
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 10.3% ABV ∙
The Cubanita is a rum-based Bloody Mary variation, shaking white rum with tomato juice, lemon, and savory spice into a Collins glass over ice. Thick and savory with a peppery kick that builds on the finish, its heat cut by a bright citrus snap and a faint horseradish tingle.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: White rum 60 mlTomato juice 100 mlLemon juice 15 mlHot pepper sauce 7 dashesWorcestershire sauce 4 dashesHorseradish sauce 1/2 bspCelery salt 2 pinchesBlack pepper 2 pinches
- Strain into the ice-filled glass
- Garnish with a lime wedge
Tips
- Shake hard and briefly — the goal is to blend the seasonings and chill it, not to aerate the tomato juice into foam.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice — bottled juice reads flat against the Worcestershire and celery salt's savory notes.
- Strain over fresh ice in the Collins glass so the drink stays cold without further dilution from the shaker ice.
History
The Cubanita has no independently documented creator, bar, or debut year; it appears in modern bar guides simply as a rum-based twist on the Bloody Mary, swapping vodka for light rum while keeping the tomato juice, citrus, and savory seasonings that define the format.
The Bloody Mary itself is generally traced to Fernand Petiot, a French bartender who is said to have first mixed vodka with tomato juice in Paris in the early 1920s, later refining the drink with spices and Worcestershire sauce after moving to the King Cole Bar at New York's St. Regis Hotel in 1934. Petiot's own account credited entertainer George Jessel with an earlier, plainer version of the tomato-and-spirit mix, and other claimants have also been named over the years, so the Bloody Mary's exact origin remains disputed among several accounts. The Cubanita takes that lineage and simply substitutes rum for vodka as its one defining change.
FAQ
What is a Cubanita?
The Cubanita is a rum-based savory cocktail built like a Bloody Mary, shaking white rum with tomato juice, lemon juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, celery salt, and black pepper, then straining it over ice into a Collins glass with a lime wedge. It is essentially a Bloody Mary made with rum instead of vodka.
Can a Bloody Mary be made with rum?
Yes, and this rum-based version has its own name: the Cubanita. It follows the same savory formula as a classic Bloody Mary — tomato juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, celery salt, and black pepper — but swaps the vodka for white rum and adds lemon juice instead of the usual lime.
Is a Cubanita a strong drink?
It drinks lighter than it looks, at about 10.3% ABV. The tomato juice and savory seasonings bulk out the pour, so the rum comes through as flavor rather than heat.
What is the main ingredient of a Cubanita?
White rum is the base spirit, backed by tomato juice as the main mixer. The rest — lemon juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, celery salt, and black pepper — are seasonings that build the savory, spiced profile around those two.
