Hotel Nacional Cocktail

Hotel Nacional Cocktail Story

This elegant twist on the classic Daiquiri was created by former Waldorf Astoria bar manager Wil P. Taylor to match the baroque grandiosity of a brand new hotel property, built in Havana in 1930. The Hotel Nacional, which stood imposingly over a picturesque view of the harbor, was a hot spot for singers, actors, and writers from the moment its doors opened. While the 1933 revolution cut short the hotel’s glory days, Charles H. Baker, whose adventures seemed to always place him at the center of Latin American turmoil, documented Taylor carrying on conducting his bar with poise despite the political upheaval unfolding outside. Change inevitably came for the once idyllic expat haven. The Batista years brought cronyism and corruption to the Hotel Nacional, while World War II was just on the horizon with Cuba supporting the U.S. as an ally. Luckily for expat bartenders like Wil P. Taylor and the Casino Nacional’s Eddie Woelke, the end of Prohibition allowed their return home, where they could once again practice their craft, but with some new recipes up their sleeves.