The mojito, a refreshing rum based drink, originated in Cuba, a major source of rum. No one’s exactly sure when the mojito was invented, though the conventional wisdom is that it was invented at La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana. The name mojito may have come from the word mojo, which is a sauce, or it may be a diminutive version of the word “mojado” which means wet. The mojito was a favorite tipple of Ernest Hemingway, that lush, as well as Brigitte Bardot, Nat King Cole and many other folks, famous and obscure.
Ingredients:
To make a mojito, you'll need:
- 1/3 cup of sugar,
- 1/2 cup of roughly chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 cup of white rum
- Club soda
- Fresh mint sprigs
- Slices of lime
- Crushed ice
- 4 to 6 10 ounce highball glasses
- A muddler or a wooden spoon
- A strainer
- A pitcher
- Glass swizzle sticks
Directions:
Muddle together the sugar, mint, and lime juice. A muddler is a tool that mashes ingredients together, but the handle of a wooden spoon works as well.
Add the rum. Strain into highball glasses.
Top with crushed ice and club soda.
Garnish with sprigs of mint and lime. Put in a swizzle stick.
Enjoy your mojito. It's the best thing on a hot day.
There are many versions of the mojito, including the virgin mojito, which is also refreshing but not as much fun, because you give the rum to someone else to drink and only use the other ingredients. The Mexican mojito uses tequila instead of rum, the apple mojito uses an apple liqueur along with the rum and an English mojito uses gin instead of rum and Sprite instead of club soda.
