The Mojito Cocktail

The Mojito cocktail is a popular mixed drink which consists of 5 main ingredients: white rum, mint, sugar, lime juice and sparking water. The Mojito cocktail most probably originated in Cuba and,due to its simple but popular combination of refreshing citrus, sweet sugar and fragrant mint, has successfully made its way across the worlds bars and clubs. Many different varieties of the Mojito cocktail are now widely available in good cocktail bars, such as the Raspberry Mojito and the Mexican Mojito, which replaces the rum with tequila.

 

The origins of the Mojito cocktail are debated but it is generally agreed that it took shape somewhere in the Caribbean, most probably Cuba. A popular tale is that the predecessor to the Mojito cocktail took shape in 16^th century, created by an English pirate called Richard Drake. To lift the spirits of his “dastardly” crew he made a drink from aquardiente, which was a crudely processed form of rum, sugar, lime and mint. The drink was named El Draque, but within the century, easier to drink rum would go on to replace the aquardiente. At the time, the drink was found to be effective at staving off scurvy and dysentery, although this would have came mainly from the Vitamin C found in the Lime Juice.

It is also claimed that the slaves, mainly African, who worked in the Cuban sugar cane fields during the 19^th century were pivotal in the birth of the Mojito cocktail. The sugar cane juice, known as guarapo, was a very popular drink among the slaves who helped come up with the name of the nectar.

The most probable story of how the Mojito came into existence was ultimately due to the poor quality of the rum in Cuba during the 19^th century. Farmers and workers were resourceful to find diversions; such as a handful of mint, some sugar cane juice or a squeeze of lime to make it more palatable. After this, the drink would make its way to the working class beaches around the Cuban capital, frequented by growing number of American tourists, where it was brought to another level with the addition of carbonated water, crushed ice and a highball glass.

There are a few different theories about where the actual name Mojito came from. The most popular and perhaps obvious theory is that it is simply a derivative of mojadito which is Spanish for a “a little wet”. Also, there is a similar word, mojo, which is a Cuban seasoning made from lime and used to flavour dishes. Another interesting connection is that there is a drink in the US marine corps called MOJO, which is derived from mixing any liquor available with fresh fruits, usually citrus.

The first actual recorded recipe for the Mojito cocktail comes from a 1931 bar manual from a club called Sloppy Joes, based Havana, the capital of Cuba. The drink was soon a steadfast favourite with American celebrities like Ernest Hemmingway and Nat King Cole who liked to frequent Cuban night clubs and in 1933 Sloppy Joes opened a club in Key West, Florida, bringing the Mojito cocktail with it.

Cocktail Ingredients

50 ml White Rum, 8 Mint leaves, 12 1/2 ml Sugar Syrup, 25 ml Lime Juice, 2 Mint sprigs

How to make a Mojito Cocktail

Add the white rum to a highball glass. Add 8 – 10 mint leaves and sugar syrup and lime juice.Muddle with bar spoon. Add crushed ice and a splash of soda. Mix drink down with bar spoon. Taste. Top up with more crushed ice. Slap 2 mint sprigs to release essence and put into drink. Add small splash of soda and straw.