In recent years, nothing sings sultry summer more sexily than an ice cold mojito. Who knew that a cocktail of such humble origin would someday grow up to be “it” at the bar? Mojitos, originally made from sugar cane, water, and unrefined rum, used to be a refreshment for plantation slaves. In a Cinderella moment with Ernest Hemingway the veritable fairy godfather, the mojito made its way from the plantation fields of
As refined as the mojito is at the bar, it’s quite a barbaric route you must take behind the bar to make it. While there’s certainly cheating to be had with pre-squeezed lime juice and simple sugar syrups, a proper mojito is made by sweating it out – muddling one tablespoon of granulated sugar, two lime halves and about a half dozen mint leaves in the bottom of a glass first, then adding ice, white rum (two ounces is standard), and soda water to the rim.
Certainly, if it’s just too damned hot to make such an effort, there are plenty of places that can do the dirty work for you. In LA, Cuban restaurants are the best bet with Xiomara in
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