Mojito

The Mojito is one of the most popular rum cocktails served today, with a recipe known around the world. The origins of this classic drink can be traced to Cuba and the 16th-century cocktail El Draque. Named for Sir Francis Drake, the English sea captain and explorer who visited Havana in 1586, El Draque was composed of aguardiente (a cane-spirit precursor to rum), lime, mint and sugar. It was supposedly consumed for medicinal purposes, but it’s easy to believe that drinkers enjoyed its flavor and effects.

Eventually, rum replaced aguardiente and the name was changed to the Mojito. It’s unclear exactly when this transpired, but the Mojito first appeared in cocktail literature in the 1932 edition of “Sloppy Joe’s Bar Cocktail Manual, a book from the famed Havana institution.

Appropriately, almost all of the ingredients in the Mojito are indigenous to Cuba. Rum, lime, mint and sugar (the island nation grows sugar cane) are joined together and then lengthened with thirst-quenching club soda to create a delicious, lighthearted cocktail. The drink is traditionally made with unaged white rum, which yields a light, crisp flavor. 

The Mojito is slightly more labor-intensive than other cocktails because it involves muddling the mint, but the end result is worth the effort. The mint combines with the other ingredients for an extra dose of refreshment that, while often associated with summer, can be enjoyed any time of the year.

Nowadays, non- alcoholic mojito is a favorite summer drink in our country.

Here we present the original mojito recipe and non-alcoholic mojito recipe to make your summer days more vibrant.

Ingredients of Mojito

10 fresh mint leaves

1/2 ounce sugar syrup

2 ounces white rum

3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed

1 cup ice cubes

½ cup club soda

Garnish: mint sprig

Garnish: lime wheel

Steps

Lightly muddle the mint with the simple syrup in a shaker.

Add the rum, lime juice and ice, and give it a brief shake.

Strain into a highball glass over fresh ice.

Top with the club soda.

Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel.

Method

Take a shaker and add mint leaves, lemon wedges, sugar syrup and fresh lemon juice. Use a marble or wooden pestle to crush everything inside the shaker. Then add 8-10 ice cubes in it. Shake well until all the ingredients release their flavours. Then pour in a glass.

Add club soda to fill up the glass and garnish with lemon wheel and mint leaves.

Tips

You can also use sparkling water instead of soda.

If you are making virgin mojito for a crowd, pulse the mint leaves in a food processor or chop them finely with a knife. 

It is best to use fresh lemon or lime juice while making virgin mojito.

To convert this mojito into a cocktail, add 50 ml of your favourite white rum or vodka to your glass while stirring in the soda.