The awesome classic airmail cocktail is one of those old fashioned drinks that everybody loves because their deliciousness has stood the test of time!
What is this Drink?
The combination of spirits in this classic airmail cocktail is unusual. If you served it without telling the lucky person what was in it, they probably wouldn’t be able to tell you. Well, they might guess it contains champagne because the drink is served in a flute. But other than that, it’s rather difficult to distinguish with surety the separate flavors!
Intrigued yet?
I’ve seen it made a few different ways, but I like this recipe the best because it balances the flavors so perfectly.
I was doing some research on the origins of this cocktail and I found conflicting information. Some sources say that right before Prohibition started in the United States, a bunch of champagne destined for America got waylaid and showed up on Cuba’s beaches. Some brilliant bartender mixed it up and the airmail cocktail started appearing in Havana’s bars. Others say that Bacardi made it up and started adding it to the pamphlet that came with a bottle of their gold rum.
I like the idea of the champagne turning up on the beaches. FREE BOOZE! 😉
On to the recipe:
The Airmail Cocktail Ingredients and the Mixing
So, I use gold rum, freshly squeezed lime juice, honey syrup, champagne and a few drops of bitters.
I featured the champagne in the above photo because I love this little bottle. It comes in handy because Christopher doesn’t drink champagne and if I’m in the mood for a cocktail that calls for it or for just want a glass of bubbly, I don’t have to open a whole big bottle. I just pop the cap off of one of these little babies and imbibe without having to re-cap it and store it in the refrigerator, as I don’t want to drink a whole big bottle on my own. Or do I? 😉
Back to the recipe.
I grab my cocktail shaker and fill it 1/2 way with ice. I always fill it 1/2 way. What about you? Comment and let me know.
I pour 2 ounces of gold Bacardi rum.
I pour it into the shaker.
Next up, the honey syrup. I use 1 ounce of the syrup which translates to 1:1 ration of 0.5 ounce of honey and 0.5 ounce of water. I stir them together until they are combined. Pictured below is just the honey.
I pour the syrup into the shaker.
I get my juicer and juice 1 ounce of fresh lime.
I pour the juice into the shaker and cap it. Time to shake the airmal cocktail for 30 seconds. I strain the liquid into the champagne flute.
Next, I fill the rest of the flute with champagne. The bigger the flute, the more champagne.
Once it’s full, it’s time for the bitters. I carefully dribble 3 drops right on top of the cocktail.
Bottoms Up
Looks good, doesn’t it?
Here are 2 more views.
As I stated before, there are different versions of this awesome classic airmail cocktail. Some peeps use different measurements, and some don’t use bitters, but it’s really good in my opinion with it! Try it both ways and let me know what you think.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know if you make it and comment to tell me how you liked it. Feel free to pin any photo to Pinterest or Yum a photo to Yummly. I dare you! 🙂
And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!
- 2 ounces gold rum I used Bacardi
- 1 ounce honey syrup combined 1/2 ounce honey and 1/2 ounce water
- 1 ounce lime juice freshly squeezed
- Brut champagne to fill the flute
- 3 drops bitters
- Fill a cocktail shaker 1/2 way full with ice, crushed or cubed
- Add 2 ounces gold rum
- Add 1 ounce honey syrup
- Add fresh lime juice
- Cap shaker and shake 10 times, pour into champagne flute
- Pour champagne in flute until it is full
- Dribble 2 - 3 drops of bitters
- Serve
- Sip
- Exclaim
- Enjoy
Some people serve it in a glass instead of a flute which means you can add more champagne. That's the beauty of recipes. You can change them whenever you want to suit your needs.
I think my father used to enjoy these cocktails. I’m intrigued and want to try this one!