Ingredients

1½ ozspiced rum
45 ml
¾ ozorange curaçao
22 ml
1 ozfresh lemon juice
30 ml
½ ozsimple syrup
15 ml
for rimcinnamon sugar rim
for rim

Instructions

Rim a chilled coupe glass with cinnamon sugar (mix cinnamon with superfine sugar, wet the rim with a lemon wedge, and dip). Combine spiced rum, orange curaçao, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds. Strain into the prepared glass. The Cable Car is a modern classic that riffs on the Sidecar template with spiced rum and a cinnamon sugar rim.

Sips & Tips

Technique

The cinnamon sugar rim is integral to the drink — it adds aroma and sweetness with every sip. Mix about 1 part ground cinnamon to 4 parts superfine sugar. Rim only the outside of the glass so the sugar doesn't fall into the drink and over-sweeten it. Shake the cocktail hard to integrate the curaçao.

Balance

Use a quality spiced rum like Chairman's Reserve Spiced or Sailor Jerry. The spiced rum's vanilla and cinnamon notes are amplified by the cinnamon sugar rim. The orange curaçao (Pierre Ferrand is ideal) adds orange richness, while the lemon juice keeps everything bright and balanced.

History

The Cable Car was created by Tony Abou-Ganim at the Starlight Room in San Francisco in 1996. Named after San Francisco's iconic cable cars, it's one of the most successful modern cocktails — a Sidecar riff that uses spiced rum instead of cognac. It won numerous awards and helped establish Abou-Ganim as one of America's top bartenders.

The Cable Car is San Francisco in a glass — inventive, elegant, and perfectly executed. The cinnamon sugar rim makes it feel like autumn even in summer. Cheers.

Variations

Cable Car with Dark Rum

Use a dark aged rum instead of spiced rum and add a pinch of cinnamon to the shaker. This version is less sweet and more spirit-forward, letting the rum's natural complexity shine through the cinnamon sugar rim.