Highballs and long drinks · Rum · IBA official
Cool mint, sharp lime and just enough sugar to round it off, with rum underneath and soda lifting it all. Done well, with gently pressed mint rather than green shreds, a Mojito is one of the most refreshing drinks there is.
1½ oz
white rum ideally Cuban-style
¾ oz
lime juice
6 sprig
mint leaves small, tender tips
2 tsp
sugar
top up with
soda water
Garnish: Mint sprig and lime wheel · Ice: Ice cubes
Mojito
Crisp, minty and citrusy with light sweetness and a clean rum backbone. Light, fizzy and moderate in strength.
Cuba's most famous highball has deep roots. A popular account links it to El Draque, a drink of aguardiente, sugar, lime and mint named after Sir Francis Drake, whose sailors are said to have drunk something similar in the 16th century. How direct that line really is remains open, but by the early 20th century the combination of rum, lime, sugar, mint and soda water was well established in Havana.
La Bodeguita del Medio in Old Havana has long promoted itself as the home of the Mojito, and a line attributed to Ernest Hemingway hangs on its wall, although historians doubt he ever wrote it. The drink went global around the turn of the millennium and today is one of the most ordered cocktails in the world. The IBA lists it among its Contemporary Classics.
A light, dry white rum in the Cuban style. Aged rums work but make a heavier drink.
Yes, though it adds a caramel note and a darker color. White cane sugar keeps the drink crisp.
The classic is built in the glass. Some bars shake the rum, lime and sugar, which also works.
The perfect sound
Fresh mint and Havana nights.
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