Beverages of Cuba

No cuisine is complete without its rich list of beverages. Same is true with the cuisine of Cuba. In Cuba, the meals are not served alone. They are usually accompanied with beer and if not beer than natural water. Cocktails are also quite popular amongst people of Cuba.

Due to government restrictions on production of beer in Cuba, presently only two brands of locally produced beer are widely available. They are, namely, Cristal – a light lager and Bucanero – a darker, stronger lager. There are several local breweries that produce beer as well.

Wine, although available in Cuba, is not commonly served in meals. It is more often used to prepare Sangría, a drink that is typically consumed before or after the meal and not along with it.

Cuba has been a historical producer of high quality rum. Therefore, it is natural that cocktails are part of Cuban beverage tradition that, much like cigars, has gone beyond the country’s boundary. The basic ingredients of the most of the Cuban cocktails are rum and lime. Some cocktails also use a variety of liquors.

The growth of several bars in the first half of the 20^th century in Cuba and particularly around Havana owes their origin to American tourism. Most of these bars specialize in preparing a large variety of cocktails.

Most well-liked cocktails of Cuba are Daiquiri - rum, lime, sugar, ice and maraschino liquor; Mojito -rum, mint leaves, sugar, ice, lime and soda water; Cuba Libre - rum, Coca Cola and lime; Ron Collins or Rum Collins - rum, lime, sugar and soda water; Telegrama - rum and mint liqueur and Piña Colada - rum, pineapple juice and coconut milk.

Apart from alcoholic beverages, Cuba boasts of long list of non-alcoholic beverages as well. The most popular non-alcoholic drink of Cuba is Malta - dark, unfermented wort with sugar molasses added as sweetener. It is also popular in several Caribbean countries).

Coffee is the choicest hot beverage of Cuba. However, Cubans prefer espresso where the coffee beans are roasted and ground for espresso preparation. Cuban espresso is served sweetened unless you request it without sugar. A sugar paste mixture can be made by adding a few drops of espresso into sugar, then the coffee is poured and stirred in, creating a thick foam head. Another beverages preferred by Cubans is sweetened Cafe Con Leche - coffee and milk that is served with toasted buttered Cuban bread - Pan Con Mantequilla and butter.

Before Castro’s regime, there were very few soft drinks in Cuba. The favorite among them were CAWY, Materva, Ironbeer, Jupina and Salutaris. Fruit juices are also quite commonly consumed in Cuba. Most popular juices are the Guarapo - freshly squeezed juice of the sugar cane, served with lime and ice and the guayaba fruit - light pink juice.

Milk shakes known as Batidos are a well-liked drink in Cuba. Usually the base of the milk shakes is the tropical fruits such as mamey, mango, cherimoya, papaya, banana and guanabana. Milk shakes with wheat, chocolate and vanilla are common choices as well.

By: Shuchita Bist

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