The global novel coronavirus pandemic may have grounded us, but we can still enjoy happy hour. This daily series will provide delicious drink recipes for you to try at home. So call your friends for a virtual sip session and traverse the globe, even if it's only in your mind.
Today's cocktail hails from Nicaragua – Macuá.
What is it?
Though its history is short, this tropical refresher made from rum, guava juice, and lime has become a popular drink at the cafés and beaches around this Central American nation.
Origins
Brazil sips the Caipirinha. Mexico quaffs the Margarita. But until 2006, Nicaragua had no cocktail to call its own. That year, the country’s major rum producer, Flor de Caña, sponsored a contest to create a national drink. The only requirement was that the beverage include rum. A 67-year-old doctor, Edmundo Miranda, concocted the winning cocktail, which is named after the Macuá, a local tropical bird.
You'll need (Serves 1)
ice
½ fl oz (45ml) rum
1fl oz (30ml) orange juice
1fl oz (30ml) guava juice
½ fl oz (15ml) lime juice
2 tsp (10ml) simple syrup (see below)
orange slice or lime wedge, to garnish
Method
Step 1: Fill a cocktail shaker half-full with ice.
Step 2: Add rum, orange juice, guava juice, lime juice, and simple syrup.
Step 3: Shake until well-blended.
Step 4: Fill a tall cocktail glass with ice, and strain drink into the glass.
Step 5: Garnish with an orange slice or lime wedge, and serve.
Tip: To prepare a simple syrup, combine equal volumes of water and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over a medium heat, and stir until sugar dissolves. Cool. This will keep refrigerated for at least a month.
Tasting notes
Whether you’re sipping a Macuá on your terrace, or in a Nicaraguan beach café (hopefully sometime in the not-too-distant future), this tropical slightly-sweet rum-based punch will put you in a holiday state of mind. In Nicaragua, you’ll find Macuá around the country, from the buzzing outdoor bars along Granada’s Calle La Calzada, to the Pacific pubs in San Juan del Sur, to the low-key resorts on the Corn Islands off the Caribbean coast. Starting with a smooth rum base, the Macuá mixes the citrus flavors of orange and lime with the tang of guava juice. It’s sweetened with simple syrup and served over ice. Salud!
Other recipes:
Caipirinha
Sangrita
Bubble Tea
