I first started bartending just before the ‘Mojito boom’ of 21st century. Up until that point punters were happy sipping on Cosmopolitans, Brambles and Long Island Iced Teas. But a mysterious spirit called rum was gaining momentum, and it took little persuasion for the drink that embodies the latino lifestyle for jazz music, small & thin dresses and care-free culture, to infiltrate its way onto the cocktail lists of virtually every bar in the country.

Part 1 – Havana, the birthplace and uprbringing…

Back in 2007 Laura and I went to Havana; for me it was a great chance to learn about the roots of Cuban cocktails and to find out how the Mojito [Mow-hee-toe] had won over the hearts of so many adoring fans.

The Mojito was based upon, and evolved from another drink that was rumoured to be created by a most unlikely bartender – Sir Francis Drake. Drake, or El Draque (The Dragon) as he was named by the Spanish, had been known to mix fresh mint with sugarcane juice, lime and a fermented sugarcane beer of sorts. The drink was replicated throughout the centuries as the Carribean was colonised and named the Draquecito.

The Mojito was probably invented around the 1920’s, but it’s first mention was in Sloppy Joe’s Bar Manual, which was published in 1931. Unfortunately Sloppy Joe’s no longer exists as the family were forced to flee during the Cuban revolution of the 1950’s, but the building does still exist and is currently rumoured to be in the process of renovation.

The original Sloppy Joe’s Mojito recipe goes something like this :

Sloppy Joe’s Mojito

• 1 lime, halved crosswise
• 3 sprigs fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 fluid ounce white rum
• 1/3 cup chilled sparkling water

Squeeze juice from both lime halves into a 12-ounce highball glass, then add lime halves. Add mint and sugar and crush mint with back of a spoon until sugar is dissolved. Add rum and stir. Add ice, then top off drink with sparkling water and stir well.

Now, there are a few things in this recipe to take note of: Firstly, the use of mint sprigs rather than mint leaves is curious since the stalks add only a bitter plantlike flavour to the drink. The use of granulated sugar is also a little controversial since, as any good bartender knows, it can be hard to completely dilute solid sugar into a cocktail. We can also see that only 1oz of white rum is used to prepare the drink, meaning that the alcoholic content is much lower than nowadays and what’s more, will be diluted considerably into what is quite a large (12oz) glass. 

The process of making the drink is also interesting, adding the ‘lime halves’ and then crushing the mint until the sugar is disolved, strikes me as being both odd and labour intensive. Finally the rum is added, presumably cubed ice (there is no mention of shape) and finally 1/3 of a cup of sparkling water, which is equal to about 75ml.

Also in 1931 a book was published entitled ‘Cuban Cookery, including Cuban Drinks, by De Baralt (Blanche Z.). Arguably this was also the first reference to the Mojito, but critically (for me anyway) the cocktail is entitled ‘RUM COCKTAIL (Cuban Mojo)’:

RUM COCKTAIL (Cuban mojo)

In medium size glass put :

• One teaspoonful sugar
• Juice and rind of a green lime
• Sprig of mint
• One jigger Bacardi Rum
• Several pieces of ice
• Fill glass with soda water.
• Serve with a long spoon.

The similarities between this drink and Sloppy Joe’s are quite clearly apparent. Crucially (for Bacardi anyway) this drink does specify the brand of rum to be used and also requests less mint than Sloppy Joe’s mojito, plus there is no mention of muddling or crushing the mint. This drink is simply built and stirred together. 

So overall we are getting an image of along drink with plenty of sparkling water and not a great deal of mint or booze. This drink would no doubt have been refreshing and very easy to drink, though I have seen no mention of a straw being served with either of the above so be prepared to be pulling mint out from between your teeth.

Exhibit C is the following video that was filmed by me during our trip to Cuba. The footage is shot in the world famous ‘La Bodeguita del Medio’, which amongst other things was Hemmingway’s preferred Mojito watering hole. LBDM is a tiny little bar situated in the old part of Havana, it is very famous for its Mojitos and despite not being the bar that invented the drink, this is the closest you are going to get to Mojito Mecca.

Not the most lovingly put together drink in the world I think you’ll agree. The fact that they have about twenty glasses lined up ready for the next tourist takes away a large chunk of romance too. So let’s have a look at the ingredients and method:

The mint, lime and sugar are already present in the glass. Three whole sprigs of mint are added along with what looked to be a bought in bottled sour mix (lime and sugar pre-mixed), not a good start. When the drink is ordered the bartender tops up with soda and then mashes the contents of the glass. He’s not messing about with that muddler either; I guess the thinking behind muddling with the soda is that the bubbles might aggravate the mint somewhat. Finally a large (I reckon we’re talking about 60ml – over twice Sloppy Joe’s) measure of Havana Club 3yo is added along with a few lumps of cubed ice.

The use of a 3 year old rum as opposed to Bacardi and the non-inclusion of the lime skins is pretty much the only difference between what I would imagine a Mojito of 1931 to be like, and the very best that Havana has to offer today. Falvour wise, todays Mojito would be a little more boozy and a little less limey, but the treatment of the mint remains the same.

So that is Cuba’s take on their national drink and I think it’s interesting to see how little it has evolved over the last 7o years. In the next part of this article I want to look at how the drink has changed since landing on foreign shores. I also want to look at the different methods that British bartenders use to make the drink and that will include my own recipe and the reasons behind it. Lastly I will explain to you why I think that the Mojito is the secret agent of the cocktail world, discussing it’s undeniable allure, many disguises and relentless penetration of modern cocktail culture.

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