About Mojito
Although the exact location of Mojito’s name and origin is debatable and lost in time, it is largely said to bear its origin in Havana, Cuba. The history of the drink can be traced back to 1586, named after a medicinal drink made for Sir Francis Drake.
Francis Drake was a privateer, who was supported by Queen Elizabeth 1 of England to seize the riches and plunder the Spanish cities. In 1586 he dropped an anchor at the Cuban shore. Havana had prepared itself for the anticipated upcoming situation that was to occur, but to everyone’s surprise, after waiting for several days, Captain Drake sailed away only after firing a few gunshots. Thus, the invasion was unsuccessful, but the creation of Mojito is credited to it. Drake’s crew was suffering from dysentery and scurvy, and the local South American Indians were known for their natural remedies. So a small troupe went to the shore of Cuba and came back with ingredients for medicine. They used aguardiente de cana, mint leaves, and sugarcane juice, along with lime juice which was although a medicinal drink, it was highly palatable. Thus, the drink came to be named after Francis Drake as 'El Draque'.
It was not called a Mojito in the early days. The modern name was given by Ernest Hemingway on his personal discovery of the drink and came to be one of the most modern cocktails. After the creation of the Bacardi company, the recent advertising campaigns were centred around the making of mojitos at home. It was also prominently featured in a James Bond film in 2002, called Die Another Day.
When is the best time to drink a Mojito?
A mojito is to be savoured slowly to enjoy the flavours that meld in the mouth. The best time to order a mojito is on a warm summer evening. It is typically a summer drink, and not meant to be consumed in cold climates.
Frohito
This drink is a frozen mojito, with the obvious and most important ingredient being crushed ice. The mint syrup takes the place of the presence of fresh herbs in this cocktail, as a result, no mint is muddled in this drink. The mint syrup is mixed with light rum and lime juice. Making a Frohito is pretty simple, but mastering it is difficult. One has to make sure that the ingredients are as cold as possible to not dilute the crushed ice while all the blending is in process. An ounce of cream can make a huge difference!
Pro tips
- A great mojito should be in tune to accommodate the quantities of the ingredients and should be based on one’s personal preference.
- If you find the mojito to be too sweet, try adding Angostura bitters to cut down on the sweetness.
- Lemons can be used instead of limes, depending on the availability. However, lemons require the addition of a little more sugar syrup to balance out the extra sourness.
- You can use half a teaspoon of caster sugar instead of the sugar syrup as well. In that case, the quantity of the white rum needs to be increased a little to dissolve the sugar before adding the crushed ice.
- Cuban bartenders originally used cubed ice instead of crushed ice.
Recap
Directions
- Lightly muddle the sugar syrup, mint and limes in a shaker
- Add 60ml rum
- Stir well, or give it a brief shake
- Strain into a highball glass filled with crushed ice
- Gently swizzle all of the ingredients together
- Top with soda
- Garnish with the mint sprig