More about the Mojito

The balmy, mambo-dancing, cocktail-sipping halcyon days of Cuba are long gone. We never find today's Hemingways on Havana's terraces. But that sweet bygone era of Mafia-supported elegance has bequeathed us the Mojito, a cooling, effervescent libation.

The Mojito was born in Cuba during this century's teen years. Simple enough and old enough to be claimed as the creation of more than a few bartenders, this classic is most closely tied to Cuba's famous La Bodeguita del Medio bar. This establishment's bartenders worked hard to popularize the drink during the '30s and '40s often resorting to name-dropping, most notably that of Ernest Hemingway. Their efforts paid off. Soon popular with Havana's hipsters, the Mojito lifted fresh mint out of its bit part as a mere cocktail garnish. An easy blend of sugar, mint leaves, lime juice, rum, ice, and soda water (strictly in that order), a Mojito (pronounced "moe-HEE-toe") is served in a tall glass sparkling with bubbles and greenery, garnished with a sprig of mint on top.

It's such an elegant, cosmopolitan drink that few would guess it takes a miniature baseball bat to mix it. The first step in Mojito creation is to use this tool to muddle crush together the mint leaves and the simple syrup to release mint oil into the mixture.The other key to a successful Mojito is to allow half of your squeezed lime to bob in the mixture. The oils from the rind add a faint bitterness that take our word for it is the essence of this drink. Its detractors, though few, are quick to point out that "Mojito" is really just a fancy name for a rum Collins mixed with mint.

As we sit, chewing on mint leaves after finishing a Mojito or two, we often recall one of the drink's greatest charms, and its only liability: While it is one of the rare cocktails that actually improves the odor of one's breath, we occasionally walk away from the experience with bits of flora conspicuously stuck to our front teeth.