CubaPLUS Magazine

It could be affirmed that the "Mojito", that exquisite refreshing cocktail that is longed for above all in the hot Cuban summer and this July 11 celebrates its International Day. It is popular throughout the planet, for its wonderful flavor and its good properties, although there are people who think otherwise.

Prepared with rum, Havana Club aged 3 years, a few sprigs of mint, lemon juice, sugar and sparkling mineral water, each ingredient in this very Cuban cocktail has magnificent properties that help fight constipation, avoid glucose spikes and excess uric acid, as well as being refreshing.

According to some historians, the birth of the "Mojito" dates back to the 16th century when the famous English corsair Francis Drake, during his great expedition to the New World, landed in Cuba looking for a remedy for the epidemic of scurvy and colic that plagued his sailors. . When he returned he brought a local mixture of cane liquor (rum precursor called tafia) with lime, sugar cane juice and mint, which prevented the disease and was baptized as "El Draque" in his honor

With the development of the technologies of that time, in the 18th century, tafia began to be distilled and became rum, then the "Drake" that was later baptized in Cuba as "draquecito" was renamed "Mojito" and, according to what is said, this is because the cocktail contains lime in its mixture, the same as the dressing used on the island to season meats called &mojo".

There are several versions of the way in which the &mojito" of today was born, but the truth is that the person who popularized it was the American writer and Nobel Prize winner for Literature, Ernest Hemingway, a regular visitor to the famous bar-restaurant &La Bodeguita del Medio", in Old Havana, where he tasted this world-famous cocktail practically every day.

The author of &The Old Man and the Sea" was also a regular customer of &Floridita", where he drank the famous Daiquirí and, regarding his predilection for both cocktails, he once sentenced a phrase that has remained in history:   

&My Mojito at La Bodeguita... my Daiquiri at El Floridita". So this Monday, International Mojito Day, we invite you  to try one, if you haven't already.

Here is the recipe: 2 teaspoons of white sugar, 25 ml fresh lime juice, 2 sprigs of mint, 50 ml of Havana Club Old 3 Years and 3 ice cubes. The preparation is simple: mix the sugar and fresh lime juice with a spoon in a glass. Crush the mint sprigs in the sugar-lime mixture. Add the rum and ice cubes, and mix again. Fill the glass with sparkling mineral water and finally decorate with a sprig of mint and… cheers!