Classic Mojito
A classic cocktail from Cuba (pronounce mow-hee-tow), whose history dates back to the 1500s when Sir Francis Drake landed in Havana Cuba, to sack the city of its gold. The story goes that Sir Drake’s crew were suffering from dysentery and scurvy. The Local South American Indians were known to have remedies for many diseases, so a small party went ashore and came back with ingredients for a medicine. They used aguardiente de caña (rum), mint leaves (yerba Buena), the juices from sugar cane (Guarapo), and limes to put together a tonic, which turned out to be effective. A cocktail named “El Draque” using similar ingredients was known to be popular in Cuba after that time and supposedly named after Drake himself.
Classic Mojito
Mojito a Miami favorite to sip by the pool day or night, a refreshing combination of mint, rum, and lime.
SINGLE SERVING
- 10-12 fresh mint leaves (you will what extra mint sprigs for garnish)
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice (plus one extra lime to slice for garnish)
- 2 ounces white rum (Barcardi is the traditional)
- 2-3 tsp simple syrup (see below, how to make simple syrup)
- 1 cup ice
- 1/2 cup club soda
PITCHER
- 80 fresh mint leaves (extra sprigs for garnish)
- 1 cups fresh lime juice (extra limes for garnish)
- 2 cups white rum
- 1/3 cup simple syrup
- 4 cups ice
- 8 cups club soda
SINGLE SERVING
In a Collins glass (a tall, 10-12 oz slim cylindrical and narrow glass) muddle 10-12 mint leaves with 2 ounces (2 tbsp) of fresh lime juice. Add 2 ounces of white rum and 2-3 teaspoons of simple syrup. Add 1 cup of ice to the glass and then pour club soda over the top to fill the glass. Stir the drink to combine and garnish with a sprig of mint and a slice of lime.
PITCHER
In a pitcher, muddle 80 mint leaves with 1 cup of fresh lime juice. Add 2 cups of rum and 1/3 cup of simple syrup. Add 4 cups of ice and 8 cups of club soda. Stir well then garnish the pitcher with mint sprigs and lime slices. Serve in tall glasses filled with ice, and garnished with extra mint and lime slices or wedges.
How to make simple syrup: Combine 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan, simmer for a few minutes until all the sugar is dissolved, then cool.
What is Muddling: To Muddle ingredients in this case the mint, is to crush (bruise) them at the bottom of glass those releasing the oil to infuse the drink with lots of minty flavor.
The muddler that I use is The Professional Drink Muddler by Bravivo. If you do not have a muddler you can use the top end of a wooden spoon or the wooden handle of a spatula.
As for the drinks name there are two main theories one is that it gets its name from Mojo a Cuban marinade made from limes, the second theory is that Mojito is simply a derivative of mojadito (Spanish for “a little wet”). 2016 the mojito was the most popular cocktail in Britain and France.
Mojito variations
You will find many variations to the classic, some of the most common are:
- Mojito Blanco – made with tequila instead of rum
- Cojito – made with coconut flavored rum
- Dirty Mojito – substitutes white rum for gold rum and uses demerara sugar (little brown partially refined sugar) or raw sugar this gives the drink a caramel flavor
- Dark Rum Mojito – uses dark rum instead of white rum
- South Side – is made with gin instead of rum
- Strawberry Mojito – add about 7 strawberries quartered in with the mint leaves and muddle, all other ingredients are the same.
Trivia: The Mojito was the most popular drink in Britain and France in 2016.
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