Elusive Dreams

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (63 ratings)

Glass:

Photographed in an Urban Bar Freddo Coupe Glass

Ingredients:
1 oz Pineapple rum
1 oz Light white rum (charcoal-filtered 1-4 years old)
1 oz Pineapple juice
34 oz Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
12 oz Monin Cinnamon Syrup
12 oz Giffard Banane du Brésil liqueur
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

  1. Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
  2. Prepare garnish of pineapple wedge.

How to make:

  1. SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
  2. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish:

  1. Garnish with pineapple wedge on rim.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 7/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 6/10

Review:

A riff on the classic Hotel Nacional Special cocktail with rum-laced, sweet 'n' sour, tropical fruit and delicate cinnamon spice.

View readers' comments

History:

Adapted from a recipe created in 2021 by Demi Natoli at Patterson House in Nashville, USA.

Nutrition:

One serving of Elusive Dreams contains 227 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.5 standard drinks
  • 14.32% alc./vol. (14.32° proof)
  • 20.4 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Simon Sedgley’s Avatar Simon Sedgley
16th September at 14:10
Very sumptuous. But, and maybe this gets filed under 'silly question', how does one squeeze all of this into a Coupe glass? We served it straight up in a Rocks glass, where it nestled snugly.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
16th September at 14:42
Ingredients total 142.5ml + dilution = approx. 180ml and photographed in a Freddo Coupe with a capacity of 196ml to brim. However, to scale back recipe =
20 ml Pineapple rum
20 ml Light white rum
20 ml Pineapple juice
15 ml Lime juice
10 ml Cinnamon syrup
10 ml Banana liqueur
----
95 ml = perfect size for a Retro Coupette Glass
Caspian Berggren’s Avatar Caspian Berggren
22nd August at 23:48
If you've ever had The Naked Ape from Smuggler's Cove then this is a juicy, pineapple version of it. I just adore the combination of cinnamon syrup and banana liqueur so I knew from the start this would be something I'd like. I'm honestly surprised, though, at how much I'd like it. The pineapple works great with cinnamon banana, and the lime ties everything together. The only slight I have against is that it could use a few dashes of Ango.
Ruth Harvey’s Avatar Ruth Harvey
26th April at 20:34
I didn't have pineapple rum so used coconut rum (Kalani) instead which gave it a Pina Colada vibe. Very nice.
Henry Tran’s Avatar Henry Tran
13th April at 14:51
I also tried the original recipe with 22.5 ml cinnamon syrup. Liked it since my palette is on sweet side.
Ben S’ Avatar Ben S
29th April 2024 at 00:59
A definite improvement for me over the classic Hotel Nacional Special - the added depth of the cinnamon syrup and banana liqueur elevates the drink.
Brian H’s Avatar Brian H
23rd October 2023 at 01:50
Very nice with probitas rum. I think it would be best with a pineapple gomme syrup, which would enhance the mouthfeel obtained from the pineapple.
Peter Hodge’s Avatar Peter Hodge
9th July 2023 at 16:40
Ooh, that’s a lot of flavours! Pineapple overtones with lingering banana and cinnamon flavours. Sweet but really enjoyable.