Havana Club show us how to make a perfect Mojito

Summer is here ( well kind of!) and what better way to enjoy it than with a long cool Mojito. The problem is that while we all enjoy a Mojito, most of us get into a muddle when trying to make one. So when Meimi Sanchez, Havana Club’s Global Brand Ambassador offered to show us how to create the perfect Mojito we just had to go along.

Meimi, who originates from Cuba, explained that creating the perfect Mojito requires only a few simple steps. The “secret ingredients” being freshness and simplicity.

Cuba is the undisputed birthplace of the Mojito, although the exact origin of this classic cocktail is the subject of debate. One story traces the Mojito to the 16th century when the cocktail was known as El Draque, in honor (or dishonor) of the English pirate and slave-trader Francis Drake. Whatever the Mojito may have been called back then, if would have been made with tafia, a primitive predecessor of rum, with the other ingredients used to hide the harsh taste. The drink no doubt improved substantially in the 19th century, with the introduction of copper stills and the ageing process that led to the modern form of rum. Some insist the Mojito’s name comes from mojo’, a Cuban seasoning made from lime and used to flavour dishes. Perhaps as a reference to its lime ingredient, the drink became known as the cocktail with a little mojo’ in Spanish, mojito’. By way of comparison, similar debate surrounds attempts to pinpoint the exact location of the first Cuba Libre, although most accounts hold that it was served somewhere in Havana around 1900. As for the Daiquiri, some American mining engineers sought to take credit for inventing the cocktail in 1905 in Santiago, Cuba, in a bar near a beach called Daiquiri but it’s likely that locals in the area were drinking Daiquiris before the Americans discovered them.

So what about those steps….

1 “Mix” Sugar And Lime

Squeeze the juice of half a fresh lime into a glass & add two teaspoons of white sugar.

You will get more juice out of the lime if you roll the uncut

Stir with a spoon or swirl the glass around until the sugar is dissolved.

2 ‘Muddle’ The Mint

Tap two whole fresh mint sprigs on the back of your hand to release the fragrant aromas. Fold the mint & place in your glass. Gently ‘muddle’ (press) the mint a few times with the end of a wooden spoon.

3 “Mix” Havana Club, ice & sparkling water

Fill the glass with ice. Cubes are best as they will melt more slowly and not over dilute your drink.

Use your Havana Club Tres Años bottle cap to pour four caps of rum over the ice, then top up with sparkling water.

4 Garnish and … Salud!

You’re nearly there – give your Mojito a gentle stir. Then, garnish with a sprig of mint and don’t forget to add a straw.

If you would like your Mojito served by a professional, head along to Pacific (Dumbarton Road), Distill (Argyle Street) or The Tiki Bar (Bath Street) as Havana have “certified” these bars as serving the finest Cuban Mojitos