Mojito

13 leaves mint
1 tbsp brown sugar (I don’t like powdered sugar but feel free to use that if you like)
1.25 OZ Havana (better) or Bacardi rum
2-3 limes
crushed ice
2 OZ club soda

If we had started this blog back in 1930, this post should’ve been entitled ‘Criollo’ – this was the original name of the cocktail known and enjoyed as ‘Mojito’ today. It originates from a non-alcoholic Cuban beverage, and started to gain attention worldwide after they’ve added some rum (the white one – important).

If there is an incarnation of a Mojito freak outside Cuba, it has to be me. If I had my little way, I would’ve placed Mojito-mixing machines on every crossroad, really. Even if it was a non-alcoholic Mojito, a so-called ‘Virgin Mojito’.

Mixing a good Mojito is not as complicated as it looks when they prepare it in bars. Make sure you have all the ingredients handy, because some of them can lose their flavor really fast (mint leaves). Put mint leaves into a Collins glass, add sugar and lime juice (if you prefer fresh limes instead, squeeze their juice directly into the glass, before adding mint leaves).  Grab a muddler and smash the lime juice / sugar into the mint leaves. Don’t squeeze like there is no gravity, but make sure to make it all evenly smashed. Add crushed ice and the rum. Stir and cover with club soda, and you are done. Some people prefer to garnish Mojitos with mint leaves – I do not, since garnishing gives it a subtle look of a complex, expensive cocktail, and I do not like it with Mojito.

*Note: Mint and sugar conceal the taste of alcohol, which can make you think your Mojito is lighter than it is. Anyhow, drink responsibly and support the national cab industry if you are too mojitoed to drive yourself.