If you like drinking then you will not just love Cuban beverages, but pretty much find this place a heaven on earth. And this is because not only do they have fabulous cocktails, rum and beer, but also as a tropical island also amazing juices.
And I know this better than most having previously lived in Cuba, as well as visiting almost very year. And yes I fell in love with Cuban beverages, many of which were just amazing after being caught in the Caribbean heat.
Therefore I have put together my 40 favourite cocktails, juices, coffees, rums and well even their own version of bloody Irn Bru!!!!!!!
Table of Contents
Top 40 Cuban Beverages
40) Batido de Mamey
What is it: A thick, creamy milkshake made from the unique Cuban mamey fruit (which tastes like a sweet potato and apricot crossed with almond). It’s an instant cool-down. Best Place: A small, unmarked ‘Agua y Batido’ street window in any local neighborhood outside of the main tourist zones.
39) Ron Mulata Añejo (Dark Rum)
What is it: A fantastic, slightly sweeter and more full-bodied aged Cuban rum than the more famous Havana Club. Great for sipping neat. Best Place: A local bodega (small general store) to buy the bottle cheap, then drink it on your balcony watching the world go by.
38) Materva (Yerba Mate Soda)
What is it: A unique Cuban soda (though produced in the US for the diaspora) made with Yerba Mate. It has a slightly earthy, caramel-like sweetness. It’s the ultimate nostalgia trip for many Cubans. Best Place: Any Paladar (private, family-run restaurant) that caters to local Cubans and has managed to get a rare bottle.
37) Malta (Refresco de Malta)
What is it: A sweet, unfermented malt drink, basically, non-alcoholic dark beer. It’s thick, syrupy, and beloved by kids and adults for its nutritional value (or so they say). Best Place: Right out of a cold can from a tienda (shop) or street vendor, especially if you’re feeling a little tired from the sun.
36) Guarapo (Fresh Sugarcane Juice)
What is it: Raw, freshly pressed sugarcane juice, often served with a slice of lime. It’s pure sugar energy and an amazing thirst-quencher. Best Place: A roadside shack with a hand-cranked or motorized trapiche (sugarcane press), typically found on the outskirts of cities or near farms.
35) Chicha de Piña (Fermented Pineapple Skin Drink)
What is it: A traditional, mildly fermented drink made from boiling pineapple skins with sugar and water. It’s only very slightly alcoholic and has a tart, sweet, and complex flavor. Best Place: Local family homes or older casas particulares (guesthouses) that still make it in the traditional way.
34) Batido de Mango (Mango Shake)
What is it: A simple, sweet, and intensely flavored shake made from some of the world’s best mangos. Pure, tropical perfection. Best Place: Any frutería (fruit stall) during mango season (May to September). The riper the fruit, the better the shake!
33) Ron Caney Añejo Centuria
What is it: An exquisite, 7-year-old aged rum from Santiago de Cuba. A touch lighter than Havana Club 7-Year, it’s smoother and has a fantastic smoky finish. Best Place: The Casa del Ron (House of Rum) in Santiago de Cuba for a quiet, respectful tasting.
32) Cóctel de Jugo y Ron (Rum and Juice Cocktail)
What is it: Not a specific recipe, but the Cuban’s default impromptu cocktail. It’s whatever fresh juice (guava, pineapple, papaya) they have, mixed with white rum. Simple, effective, and always hits the spot. Best Place: A beach bar with a blender and a bottle of rum, like the ones in Varadero or on the Cayo Santa María.
31) Pru Oriental (Herbal Soft Drink)
What is it: The Irn Bru of Cuba! A traditional, very local, and unique carbonated soft drink originating from the eastern province of Oriente. It’s made from boiling bark and herbs, giving it a distinctive, spicy-sweet flavor that can be polarizing. Best Place: Any small cafe or stall in the eastern cities like Baracoa or Guantánamo. It’s much harder to find in Havana.
30) Cóctel Adán y Eva (Adam and Eve Cocktail)
What is it: A lesser-known cocktail combining pineapple juice, light rum, and often a splash of grenadine. It’s fruity, sweet, and a real holiday sipper. Best Place: A rooftop bar in Trinidad overlooking the Plaza Mayor at sunset—the perfect romantic backdrop for this Biblical drink.
29) Batido de Frutabomba (Papaya Shake)
What is it: The best way to drink your vitamins! A simple, ice-cold shake made from frutabomba (the Cuban name for papaya). Rich, sweet, and a perfect mid-day refuel. Best Place: Any small cafetería (cafe) in Camagüey, where the fruit is always guaranteed to be perfectly ripe and sweet.
28) Cerveza Bucanero Fuerte (Strong Bucanero Beer)
What is it: Cuba’s most popular strong lager, clocking in at 5.4%. It’s bold, has a bit of malty sweetness, and is the choice when you need something with a kick on a hot day. Best Place: Any chiringuito (beach hut) on Playa Ancón, ice-cold and served with a bag of crispy chicharrón (pork rinds).
27) Ron Santiago de Cuba Añejo
What is it: A fantastic, very traditional aged rum. It’s often considered the true heir to the original Bacardi recipe, before the revolution. Smooth enough to sip, but powerful enough for a cocktail. Best Place: A small, classy bar in Santiago de Cuba, where it was originally produced. Order it neat.
26) Cortadito
What is it: The quickest Cuban coffee fix after the straight shot. It’s a short espresso (cafecito) cut with a dash of warm, steamed milk. The sugar is already in it, of course! Best Place: Any busy street-side window in Old Havana where you see locals queuing up for their morning jolt.
25) Piña Colada
What is it: While the true origin is debated, Cuba serves a mean one: white rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice, blended to a smooth, icy perfection. It’s dessert in a glass. Best Place: The bar at the Hotel Nacional in Havana, served poolside with a view of the Malecón. Tourists love it, but so should you.
24) Ron Cubay Añejo Reserva
What is it: A quality, aged rum from Santo Domingo, often overlooked but exceptionally smooth with notes of vanilla and oak. A true hidden gem in the Cuban rum lineup. Best Place: A well-stocked casa particular (private guesthouse) bar in Trinidad—your host will likely be a fan.
23) Saoco
What is it: An incredibly simple, refreshing highball made from white rum and fresh coconut water. It’s the original ‘nature’s mixer’ cocktail, less complicated than the Piña Colada. Best Place: A hammock on a deserted beach like Cayo Jutías, served in a freshly cracked coconut.
22) Cuba Libre (Rum & Cola)
What is it: The world-famous classic: white rum, cola (often the local TuKola, since real Coca-Cola is rare), and a squeeze of fresh lime. A toast to “Free Cuba.” Best Place: Any buzzing Paladar on a Saturday night. It’s the ultimate party starter and easy to order anywhere.
21) Jugo de Guayaba (Guava Juice)
What is it: Sweet, thick, slightly grainy, and intensely tropical. Guava juice is one of the most common and robustly flavored of all Cuban fruit juices. Best Place: A local mercado (market) where it’s freshly strained—often served ice-cold in a simple plastic cup.
Top 20 Cuban Beverages
20) Cerveza Mayabe (Mayabe Beer)
What is it: A lighter, milder lager than Cristal or Bucanero, but still refreshing and great for volume drinking under the Caribbean sun. Best Place: A local baseball game in a smaller provincial town. The unofficial beer of Cuban sport.
19) Daiquirí de Plátano (Banana Daiquiri)
What is it: A twist on the classic Daiquirí, where a whole banana is blended in. Creamy, sweet, and a perfect boozy breakfast if you’re brave enough. Best Place: The original El Floridita bar in Havana—order it at the counter where they have all the frozen fruit options.
18) El Presidente
What is it: An elegant, Prohibition-era cocktail made with aged rum, vermouth, Curaçao (or orange liqueur), and a dash of grenadine. It’s sophisticated and slightly bitter. Best Place: The Hotel Sevilla bar in Havana, where you can sip it in a high-backed chair and imagine the mobsters and movie stars of the 1920s.
17) Té con Ron (Rum Tea)
What is it: The Cuban take on a hot toddy. Simply hot tea (often black or herbal), mixed with a large shot of rum and sugar. Perfect for chilly evenings or when you need a cure-all. Best Place: A mountain finca (farmhouse) in the Viñales Valley, after a long day of hiking.
16) Granizado (Shaved Ice)
What is it: Essentially a snow cone. Shaved ice topped with brightly colored, extremely sweet syrups (strawberry, grape, etc.). The ultimate cheap street treat to beat the heat. Best Place: A street cart with a hand-cranked ice shaver near a busy school or park.
15) Canchánchara
What is it: Often called Cuba’s oldest cocktail. It’s made with aged rum, honey, and fresh lime juice, traditionally served warm (though now often cold) in a small clay pot. Best Place: The bar of the same name in Trinidad—it’s the official home of the drink.
14) Ron Legendario Elixir de Cuba
What is it: Technically a “punch” or liqueur, this rum is sweet, aged, and infused with raisins, giving it a syrupy, almost wine-like profile. It’s a proper dessert rum. Best Place: Any private dinner party with Cubans; this bottle always makes an appearance for the post-meal sobremesa.
13) Cerveza Cristal (Cristal Beer)
What is it: Cuba’s official “Pilsner” and arguably the most common beer. Light, clean, and supremely drinkable—it’s what you reach for first when you land. Best Place: Any terraza (outdoor terrace) or busy bar right on the Malecón as the sun sets over Havana.
12) Cuba-Té
What is it: A simple, refreshing drink: Cuban rum and iced tea, sometimes with a splash of citrus. It’s the sophisticated answer to the Cuba Libre for tea lovers. Best Place: A relaxed Paladar in Cienfuegos, known for its calm, leafy courtyard.
11) Mojito (The Original Cuban Beverage)
What is it: White rum, sugar, lime juice, sparkling water, and hierba buena (Cuban spearmint). Muddled (gently!), not pulverized. The refreshing icon of Cuba. Best Place: La Bodeguita del Medio in Old Havana. Yes, it’s touristy, but the atmosphere and the sheer volume of mint muddled here are undeniable.
Top 10 Cuban Beverages
10) Café con Leche
What is it: A strong shot of Cuban espresso (cafecito) mixed with a large cup of hot, often scalded, milk. Sweetened, robust, and great for dipping toast into. Best Place: Breakfast at your casa particular—your Cuban host will always make the best version.
9) Daiquirí (The Frozen Classic)
What is it: White rum, lime, and sugar, served slushy-style. A tart, icy marvel that cuts through the humidity like nothing else. Best Place: El Floridita in Old Havana. This is where the frozen version was perfected, and you have to get one to pay homage to Hemingway.
8) Batido de Tamarindo (Tamarind Shake)
What is it: Made from the tart, woody pulp of the tamarind fruit, this shake is sour, sweet, and unique. It’s an acquired taste, but incredibly complex and refreshing. Best Place: A small, dedicated juice stall near a park in Holguín—a real taste of the Cuban countryside.
7) Havana Club 7 Años (7-Year Aged Rum)
What is it: The quintessential, high-end sipping rum of Cuba. Rich, smooth, with notes of tobacco, vanilla, and dried fruit. A world-class spirit. Best Place: A quiet lounge bar in a five-star hotel, like the Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski, where the bartender pours it neat into a proper snifter.
6) Havana Loco (Rum and Orange Juice)
What is it: As simple as it gets: rum and orange juice. The quality of the local oranges elevates this far beyond a cheap college mixer. Best Place: Anywhere the oranges are fresh—look for a roadside fruit stand on a cross-country bus journey.
The Top 5 Best Cuban Beverages
5) Cubanito (Rum-based Bloody Mary)
What is it: A spicy, savory cocktail identical to a Bloody Mary but with white rum replacing the vodka. The rum adds a sweet, earthy complexity that makes it highly addictive. Best Place: A good quality Paladar that understands the need for Tabasco and a lime wedge—they are rare, but wonderful when you find them.
4) Crema de Vie
What is it: A creamy, homemade Cuban liqueur often likened to a thinner, sweeter Advocaat or eggnog. Made with condensed milk, eggs, vanilla, and, of course, a lot of Cuban rum. Best Place: A Cuban home during the Christmas holidays. It’s a traditional treat and the best versions are always homemade.
3) El Papa Doble / Hemingway Daiquirí
What is it: Hemingway’s specific Daiquirí order from El Floridita: double the rum, no sugar, with grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur. Tart, powerful, and an absolute legend. Best Place: El Floridita in Havana, standing right next to the brass statue of Ernest himself.
2) Café Cubano (Cafecito)
What is it: The most essential Cuban drink. A small, powerful shot of espresso made with sugar already whipped into the first few drops, creating a rich, creamy, sugary foam (called espumita) on top. Best Place: The back kitchen of any Cuban family home. Nothing beats the espumita made with love.
1) Rum (Any kind, in good company)
What is it: White, gold, or aged. Havana Club, Santiago, or Legendario. It’s the foundation of the Cuban drinking experience. Best Place: A plastic table on a sidewalk, shared with a handful of loud, friendly Cuban locals. The drink is great, but the atmosphere is the most essential ingredient. That’s the real taste of Cuba.
Of cousre there is much more to do in Cuba than just drink, such as sun, the beach and communism, but all of these were designed to be had with a brew….
Click to check my Cuba Tours with Young Pioneer Tours.