Mojito

Havana's defining cocktail: white rum, fresh lime, spearmint, sugar, and soda, the mint muddled just enough to release its oils without bitterness

Origin: Havana, Cuba

From the journey of Mint.

The mojito's history is contested at every level, its origin, its name, its essential ingredients, but its identity is not: the mojito is Havana's cocktail, and Havana's cocktail is the mojito. One tradition traces the drink to the draque, a 16th-century rough preparation of aguardiente (unaged sugarcane spirit), lime juice, sugar, mint, and water, reportedly administered to Sir Francis Drake's sailors as a remedy for scurvy and dysentery during his Caribbean raids. The more credible commercial lineage begins with the establishment of Cuban rum distillation in the 1860s, particularly the Bacardí distillery, founded in Santiago de Cuba in 1862, and the subsequent development of cocktail culture in Havana's legendary bar scene. La Bodeguita del Medio in Old Havana is the establishment most associated with the drink's popularisation; Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Cuba from 1939 to 1960, allegedly scrawled 'My mojito in La Bodeguita, My daiquiri in El Floridita' on the bar's wall. The mojito's name is likely from the African Yoruba 'mojo' meaning a small spell or charm; cognate with the Louisiana mojo bag tradition and the Cuban concept of mujo (luck, magic), reflecting the African heritage embedded in Cuban culture and language. The mint technique in a mojito is precise: muddling in the glass (not a separate vessel) with sugar and lime, with enough pressure to bruise but not destroy the spearmint: the same distinction that separates a fresh, fragrant mojito from a bitter, grassy one.

Ingredients

mint

10 fresh spearmint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish

citrus

1 lime, half for juice (squeezed directly in glass), half cut into wedges for garnish

sweetener

2 tsp caster (superfine) sugar or white sugar, or 15ml simple syrup

spirit

60 ml white Cuban rum or any good quality white/silver rum (Havana Club Blanco is the authentic Cuban choice)

fizz

90 ml soda water, chilled

ice

1 cup crushed ice or ice cubes

Method

Place the mint leaves and sugar in a highball glass. Squeeze the half lime directly into the glass over the mint and sugar. Muddle gently with a muddler or bar spoon: press the mint against the sides and base of the glass 4-5 times with firm but gentle pressure. The mint should be bruised and fragrant; not shredded. The mixture should smell immediately of fresh mint and lime.
Fill the glass with crushed ice (preferred) or ice cubes. Pour the rum over the ice.
Top with chilled soda water. Stir briefly, 3-4 times from the bottom, to integrate the muddled mint mixture with the rum and soda.
Garnish with a fresh sprig of spearmint and a lime wedge. Serve immediately with a straw. The straw should reach the bottom so the first sip draws through the muddled mint at the base.

Notes

Spearmint (Mentha spicata) is correct; specifically, Cuban spearmint if available, which has a slightly higher sweetness than standard spearmint. Peppermint would overwhelm the drink. The rum should be white (unaged or lightly aged), not dark or aged: the lighter spirit lets the mint and lime carry the flavour. Simple syrup (1:1 sugar dissolved in water) is easier to incorporate smoothly than granulated sugar, especially if you muddle gently. Angostura bitters (a few drops) is a Cuban bartender's addition to depth; not traditional but not wrong.

The Gastrographer

Name: Mojito
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Cuba
Ingredients: 10 fresh spearmint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish; 1 lime, half for juice (squeezed directly in glass), half cut into wedges for garnish; 2 tsp caster (superfine) sugar or white sugar, or 15ml simple syrup; 60 ml white Cuban rum or any good quality white/silver rum (Havana Club Blanco is the authentic Cuban choice); 90 ml soda water, chilled; 1 cup crushed ice or ice cubes

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control