Cuba mixes up a series of hits with its cocktail creativity
Havana (AFP) - First there was the "Drake," a concoction of alcohol and macerated mint leaves imbibed by British privateer Sir Francis Drake in Cuba in the 16th century. Then "The Train," a blend of gin, barley and hot water from the early 1900s. But the art of the cocktail in Cuba really exploded 100 years ago under prohibition in the United States, with the invention since then of famous alcoholic mixes such as the daiquiri, mojito, and of course, the Cuba libre. When the US government banned the manufacture and sale of alcohol in 1920 -- a measure that lasted for 13 years -- "people began ...