Hotel National Special

The Hotel National Special was the flagship cocktail of the famous Hotel Nacional de Cuba and was created sometime in the 1930s. This hotel was ground zero for American Celebrities vacationing in Cuba and since it was opened just after prohibition offered the booze-drinking rich a respite from prohibitions and restrictive laws. The hotel also attracted some of the best American bartenders looking to ply their trade legally. Although this cocktail has been credited to three celebrity bartenders Eddie Wolke, Will Taylor, and Fred Kaufman, it was actually first referenced in print in Charles H. Baker’s Gentleman’s Companion.