Rum Drinks and Havanas: Cuba Classics

Underground Wine Journal, 1/00
[A] lively celebration of all things Cuban... delightful.

Book Description
This celebration of all things Cuban--cigars, bars, rum drinks and music--will delight recent visitors to Cuba and armchair travelers alike. The almost mythical lure of Cuba has charmed an abundance of tourists and famous visitors like Ernest Hemingway, who drank daiquiris at the now-famous Floridita bar. Rum Drinks & Havanas depicts the legendary Cuban bars and delicious daiquiris and mojitos that were created in them. Not only does it share the differences between various brands of rum, how rum is made, and the affects of aging, but it details recipes for over thirty traditional and inimitable drinks, including the Cuba Libre, a melange of daiquiris, and the Havana Special. Several recipes are variations based on the Floridita's famous patron or its bartender-Papa Hemingway Daiquiri and Daiquiri Don Rolando, amongthem. This book tells the tale of the unequaled Havana cigar-Cohibas and Montecristos-and it describes the secrets of growing tobacco and rolling cigars. It divulges how to buy and consume them in a discriminating way, and it details the differences between them. Mark Twain believed in a good cigar when he said, "If they don't allow cigar smoking inheaven, I don't want to go there." Cuba is also known for its bustling city life and carnivals-a celebration of the moment. Enjoy the mythical allure of Cuba with this charming book depicting all aspects of thisCaribbean island and inviting you to share in its drinks, cigars, and music. Other Details:99 illustrations, 50 in full color96 pages5 3/4 x 5 3/4"Published 1999

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

About the Author
Amiel Pretsch lives in Milan and Munich. He is a well-known photographer and producer of print ads and television commercials for such clients as Swatchand BMW.

Excerpted from Rum Drinks and Havanas: Cuba Classics by Ernst Lechthaler, August F. Winkler, Amiel Pretsch. Copyright © 1999. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
Foreword My friends ask me so what's so special about Cuba. I close my eyes, listen to my heart, and reply that it's something you can't explain by simply ranking its charms; you canonly sense it, like an enchanting fairy tale. To me, Cuba is . . . lying on the beach and daydreaming sipping a daiquiri in the Floridita, far from the cares of the world watching attractive women as they register your gaze with a brief lift of their eyes, then swivel their hips all the more coquettishly inhaling the rich bouquet of spices, honey, rare woods, leather, herbs, nuts, smoke, chocolate, and faded roses in a cigar factory smoking a Cohiba Esplendidos, a Sancho from Sancho Panza, or a Montecristo No. 2--the so-called torpedo--and being grateful to the women who roll those miracles withsuch artistry strolling through the Old City of Havana and appreciating its amazing history and its sense of pride experiencing heart-wrenching social chaos and yet finding exhilaration in it sensing the unquenchable hope for better times My friends object that I am overdoing it a little. Perhaps, I admit. But this much is certain: Havana is the most joyful city in the world. There people recognize that a fool's stoneis not so very different from the philosopher's stone.


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This celebration of all things Cuban—cigars, bars, rum drinks, and music—will delight recent visitors to Cuba and armchair travelers alike. The almost mythical lure of Cuba has captivated an abundance of tourists and famous visitors like Ernest Hemingway, who drank daiquiris at the now-famous Floridita bar. Rum Drinks & Havanas depicts the legendary Cuban bars and the delicious daiquiris and mojitos that were created in them. Sprinkled throughout these pages are entertaining remarks from famous people, like the following from Mark Twain: "If they don't allow cigar smoking in heaven, I don't want to go there." This book compares various brands of Cuban rum, explains how rum is made, and describes the effects of aging, as well as gives recipes for more than 20 traditional and inimitable drinks. Also serving as a primer on the unequaled Havana cigar, the book divulges the secrets of growing tobacco and making cigars, explains how to buy and consume them in a discriminating way, and notes the differences between them. This engaging book invites you to enjoy the mythical allure of Cuba as it invites you to share in all aspects of this Caribbean island. Amiel Pretsch is a photographer and producer of print ads and television commercials. Ernst Lechthaler is a bartender and an author of books and magazine articles on catering and bartending. August F. Winkler is a frequent contibutor to many magazine and newspaper articles about drinks and cigars. 99 illustrations, 50 in full color


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