Hotel Nacional Special

It's hard to beat a daiquiri, but we consider the Hotel Nacional Special to be a more elegant and complex take on the classic daiquiri.

Keep the light Cuban rum and fresh lime juice, and instead of gum syrup as the sweetener, swap in pineapple gum syrup and a bit of apricot brandy/liqueur*.

Here's a recipe for one:

• 2 oz light rum
• ¾ oz lime
• ⅔ oz pineapple gum syrup
• ¼ oz apricot brandy/liqueur

Shake all with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lime wheel.

If you've got a few folks visiting, scale this up into punch form! This recipe serves 8-12.

• 20 oz light rum
• 7 ½ oz lime
• 6 ⅔ oz pineapple gum syrup
• 2 ½ oz apricot brandy/liqueur
• 15 oz water

Combine all ingredients in a 1-2 gallon punch bowl. Stir and add a large block of ice. Garnish with lime wheels.

* Apricot brandy is not easy to find, but your best bet is the product from Rothman and Winter.