Mojito

Necessity is the mother is of invention, and this holds particularly true through the annals of history with folks, who, like The Rev, enjoy a good drink every now and again…mostly now and again and again in my case.

Rum, the liquor used in the Mojito, had its origins born out of necessity; a necessity of the slaves who worked the sugar cane fields of Barbados during the 17^th century, and needed a drink at the end of the day. The slaves found they could ferment molasses, a typically discarded by-product of sugar distillation, into a fairly potent concoction. Over time, rum came to be distilled to remove impurities and the rum we know and love today became the preeminent liquor of the Caribbean and Latin America.

My favorite way to enjoy rum in the summer is in Mojitos, which are fairly similar to a Deep South favorite, the mint julep. Needing a way to enjoy rum in the sweltering heat of 19^th century Cuba, the present-day version of the Mojito was born. As the Rev is a traditionalist, I present a close-to-original version of the drink. You will need 2 ounces of light rum, a lime, some mint leaves (spearmint is my preference), good organic minimally refined cane sugar (sold at your favorite big-box market), ice cold soda water, and ice.

And now, here’s Rev’s handwritten bar book. Take it away!

• Pour rum into long drink glass;
• Wash lime, cut in half, cut one half into 4 wedges;
• Add 3 of the 4 lime wedges to rum in the glass;
• Strip mint leaves off 2 of the stems and add to rum in the glass;
• Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar to rum in the glass;
• Mash the lime and the mint using a muddler;
• Add ice cubes, fill with soda water.
• Use 4th lime wedge to decorate rim of glass.
• Use 3rd stem of mint to decorate the glass

This is a hot weather drink, my friends. I suggest smoking a mild to medium-bodied cigar so the smoke complements the drink and vice versa. A La Requeza or (for my taste) a Tatuaje La Vierate 2009 are the go-to cigars for this drink. Celebrate invention’s mother, necessity, and try a Mojito.