Mojito

The Mojito lends itself to using different types of rum. Additionally, you could use Demerara or Brown sugar in order to add caramel flavors to the drink, which would pair well with certain rums.

Be careful not to muddle the mint or the lime wedges too hard, as they’ll impart a bitter flavor to the drink. Make sure the lime wedges sit on top of the mint leaves as you muddle, to prevent bruising them too much. 

This was one of the drinks that opened our eyes to the world of cocktails – Sure, we had had Mojitos in a bar before, but it wasn’t until we made it ourselves, that we truly understood what we were missing. If you haven’t done so yet, give it a try with a decent bottle of rum and some fresh mint leaves!

You can try making the mojito with other herbs you like. Greg from How to Drink tried this, and we’ve included the basil one in the Related Cocktails section. We recommend experimenting with mixes of herbs as well, you don’t have to limit yourself to just one!

Note that whenever a recipe calls for mint, it refers to spearmint. It should taste and smell sweet. If it tastes like toothpaste, you're using peppermint.

The origin of the name Mojito isn’t entirely clear, but there’s a very good chance it is derived from Mojo. Mojo is a word that has its roots in African languages, and it is related to magic and medicine.

It could be that mojo in this context meant spell or cure, which would indicate that Mojito means “little spell” or “little cure”. 

Earlier recipes for the Mojito called it Mojo Criollo or Mojo Cubano, and there’s a likely connection between it and a medicinal drink that goes back to the 1500s (and maybe before that) called the Draque.

The Draque is named after Sir Francis Drake, and has the same ingredients as a Mojito, except it uses Aguardiente (cane spirit). The drink was used to treat fevers and colds, as Spearmint has a long history of being used for medicinal purposes.

The first recorded use of the cocktail under the name Mojito was in 1932’s menu for Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Havana, Cuba. Curiously, though, the Mojito appears twice in the menu, one made with rum and the other with gin.

The bar gained popularity during US Prohibition, as flocks of tourists made their way to Cuba.