The Canchánchara (or, as Berry spells it, Chanchánchara) is probably from the mid-eighteenth century, a rustic drink possibly invented, certainly popularized, by the early Cuban freedom fighters during their war for independence from Spain.Ĭanchánchara was a mix of aguardiente de caña (more similar to rhum agricole than to molasses-based rums), lime, and honey or molasses-a sort of blue-collar Daiquiri. Structurally, it looks much like a Daiquiri, but as Jeff Berry reminds us in his Potions of the Caribbean, the Daiquiri itself is derived from a much older drink, the Canchánchara. There’s no way to know if the drink was a Bacardi invention, or something that they picked up from popular Havana bars. The commemorative Airmail cocktail appeared soon after, in one of Bacardi’s promotional pamphlets. It was a big deal-they’d been working on it since around 1914-another step in the modernization of the island. In 1930, the Cuban government began regular air mail service on the island. Such is progress.īut in the early days of aviation, it was important technology, and countries worldwide spent years perfecting their air mail systems and routes.Ĭuba was no exception. I remember when there really was something called “air mail”-the thin paper, the special envelopes with the barbershop piping along the edges, the marvelous stamps, the promise of delivery to faraway places in only a couple days. And I didn’t notice it had faded away. The Airmail deserves more attention, and what better time to talk about champagne and rum than New Year’s Eve. Some months back, I made a passing reference to the Airmail Cocktail.
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