Mojito

The most important facts summarized for you:

• Mojito is a refreshing rum-based cocktail
• Traditionally, light Cuban rum is used for the original Mojito recipe
• Mojito was not invented by Ernest Hemmingway, but dates back to the 16th century

A mojito is a refreshing cocktail based on light Cuban rum.

If you're looking for a new favorite drink for long summer garden parties, the mojito is the perfect choice. With this drink, you'll be sipping pure Caribbean. Join us on a trip to Cuba, following in the footsteps of legendary writer and cocktail lover Ernest Hemingway.

Mojito recipe

Ingredients:

• 5 cl light Cuban rum
• Juice of half a lime
• 2 to 3 bar spoons of white cane sugar
• A sprig of fresh mint (6 to 8 leaves)
• 3 to 4 cl soda (sparkling mineral water)
• ice cubes

Preparation:

1. Pour the rum into a highball glass.
2. Add the sugar and lime juice and mix with the rum.
3. 'Clap' the mint leaves: Place the leaves on the palm of your hand and smack them flat once or twice as if you were applauding. It is important not to press the mint too hard, otherwise the mojito will taste too minty or even bitter. Pour into the glass.
4. Add ice cubes to two centimeters below the rim of the glass.
5. Slowly top up with soda and stir gently to retain the carbonation.
6. Garnish with a slice of lime and a few mint leaves.

Original Mojito recipe

Mojito alternatives

Looking for similar recipes? Here are a few suitable alternatives to the mojito:

• Gin Fizz - refreshing cocktail with gin<
• Old Fashioned - the most popular whisky cocktail in the world
• Moscow Mule - fruity cocktail in a copper mug
• Nojito - the non-alcoholic alternative to the mojito

Things to know about the mojito - the classic Caribbean cocktail

Although the American writer Ernest Hemingway is often associated with the cocktail, he did not invent it. The origins of the Caribbean cocktail go back much further.

The Mojito originally comes from Cuba" title="The Mojito originally comes from Cuba

Most sources name Sir Francis Drake as the inventor of the mojito, a 16th century privateer who was only called 'El Draque', the dragon, by his trembling opponents. Quite an age for a cocktail! It is said that 'El Draque' also sipped his original mojito for medicinal reasons. The rum killed the bacteria in the then questionable water. The mint helped the pirate against stomach ailments. The lime against the vitamin deficiency disease scurvy. Let someone tell me again that drinking is unhealthy!

Until the 20th century, the pirate drink was only drunk in Cuba - until Ernest Hemingway paid a visit to the bars on the Caribbean island. In one bar, the Bodeguita del Medio, he even scribbled on the wall: "My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridita." The sentence is still there today, carefully preserved. The writer thus gave the mojito a worldwide legendary status that continues to this day.

Which rum goes into the mojito?

For the real mojito feeling, you need white rum, more precisely white Cuban rum. According to Alexander Kreft, Vice President of the German Bartenders' Union, a strong, medium-aged variety works best. In other words, you can't go wrong with a good three-year-old Cuban.

Mojito is made with white rum - from sugar cane, of course!

Which mint goes in the mojito?

The good news: fresh mint (spearmint, not peppermint!) is now available here all year round. The bad news is that you won't find original Cuban Hierba Buena mint (also known as Hemingway mint) in the supermarket. Moroccan mint is said to be the closest to it.

Ideally, you should use Cuban mint or a similarly delicate variety

As already described in the recipe, you should handle the mint with care. The leaves are full of essential oils. If you crush or bend them, they will release too much. Your mojito will then taste too minty, almost bitter. If you think the 'slapping' described in the recipe is unhygienic, put the mint leaves straight into the glass and stir them carefully. It also helps to press them lightly against the edge of the glass with a spoon.

What sugar goes into the mojito?

Many people immediately think of brown cane sugar when they think of mojito. However, the original contains white cane sugar. It is finer and therefore dissolves much better.

Light cane sugar, not dark cane sugar, is used in the mojito

Is mojito another name for caipirinha?

In short: No. You do need lime for the 'Caipi' too. But that's where the similarities end. A real caipirinha doesn't contain rum, it contains cachaça.

Caiphirina is not a variation, but a completely different cocktail

This spirit is also made from sugar cane - but unlike rum, it is not made from sugar cane molasses, but from fresh sugar cane juice. Cachaça also comes from Brazil. This is why caipirinha is a Brazilian national drink. Just like James Bond, the caipi is shaken, not stirred like the mojito. There is no soda in Caipi. So: never confuse the two cocktails. Especially not in Cuba or Brazil.

Variations

Mojito is an essential summer drink for any terrace or beach bar. Enjoy it classic or in variations: With ginger syrup, with curacao, with the juice of two blood oranges, with pomegranate juice or infused with champagne. And of course always with the best rum and ice cubes.

It doesn't always have to be classic with mint and lime

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