Mojito

Coming from the island of Cuba, Mojito is one of the most popular mixed drinks in virtually every part of the world. Enjoyed by various people, from home parties to casual cafés and cocktail bars to fancy clubs all around the world, this simple but great drink comes from the simple, regular people of Cuba. Unlike the other classic cocktails, Mojito wasn’t invented by some great bartender – it was more likely invented as a thirst quencher by workers on a long hot work days on sugar cane fields.

Mojito with lemon

So, what is this mojito actually? It’s a simple but effective combination of mint, limes, sugar, white rum and soda water. Exact recipe and measures may vary, some ingredients may be replaced with alternatives (the most common – lemons instead of limes), but it all comes to the ingredients I’ve mentioned. Here’s one of the recommended recipes for mojito I’ve encountered so far:

• a few mint leaves
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 2 oz white rum
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 lime squeezed and cut into quarters
• soda water

Crush mint leaves with a pestle in highball glass. Add lime juice, sugar and lime quarters into glass and stir. Add ice and rum and then top up with soda water. Serve with a straw. Lime quarters and mint leaves are quite appealing garnish, but if you want, you may add fresh mint sprig and/or lime wedge as a garnish. I like it simple.

Mojito with lemon

As I’ve mentioned, some ingredients may vary, because not all of the original ingredients can be found everywhere on the planet. Lemons often act as a substitute for limes, and I can’t even count how many different varieties of mint exist around the world. Same applies to varieties of sugar, rum and soda water. But whatever the combination, mojito is still a great refreshment with the spirit of Cuba.