The Mojito was born at the La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, Cuba, in the 1940s. Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway wrote “My Mojito in La Bodeguita,” which still can be read today, hanging on the wall. Others claim that this was a forgery, a marketing ploy of the restaurant owners to promote their mojito cocktail and bring in tourists after communism took over. Over the last decade, the Mojito has quietly become one of the most recognized drinks in the world. Today, people carelessly consume it regardless of the season or weather. But somewhere along the way, the mojito has been reconfigured as a short, stout, bittersweet rum hybrid of muddled lime wedges and pulverized mint. Then a friend of ours who went to film school in Cuba came back and pointed out that mojitos were supposed to be tall, light, and fizzy, clean and effervescent. We brought it back to its true form and labeled it the Havana-Style Mojito. Although it never made it onto our menu, it is the closest you can get to a true mojito without the luxury of Havana Club Cuban rum. It is a fantastic cocktail—but please don’t order it while there is snow on the ground.

　　

Ingredients

makes 1 drink

　　3 pinches fresh mint leaves

　　1 1/2 teaspoons superfine sugar

　　1/2 ounce homemade Mint Syrup (page 156)

　　1 1/4 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice

　　1 3/4 ounces Flor de Caña four-year-old rum

　　1 ounce club soda

　　2 dashes Angostura bitters, for garnish

　　

Step 1

Lightly muddle the mint leaves with the sugar in the bottom of a Collins glass. Add the syrup, juice, and rum. Fill with large cold ice cubes and shake briefly. Top off with the club soda. Garnish with the bitters.

　　

tasting notes

Step 2

Dominant Flavors: mint and lime

　　

Step 3

Body: light, sparkling

　　

Step 4

Dryness: medium

　　

Step 5

Complexity: medium to low, depending on the rum

　　

Step 6

Accentuating or Contrasting Flavors: grass and molasses

　　

Step 7

Finish: short, fresh

　　

Step 8

Glass: Collins

　　Reprinted with permission from Speakeasy: The Employees Only Guide to Classic Cocktails Reimagined by Jason Kosmas and Dushan Zaric, © 2010 Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.