Jump to content

Mojito

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 192.118.11.120 (talk) at 17:34, 29 July 2011. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the beverage. For the condiment, see Mojo (sauce). For the unincorporated area in the USA, see Mojito, New Jersey.
Mojito
IBA official cocktail
TypeCocktail
Base spirit
ServedOn the rocks: poured over ice
Standard garnishsprig of mint (Yerba buena in the original recipe)
Standard drinkware
Collins glass
IBA specified
ingredients†
PreparationMint sprigs muddled with sugar and lime juice. Rum added and topped with soda water. Garnished with sprig of mint leaves. Served with a straw.

Mojito (/[invalid input: 'icon']moʊˈhiːtoʊ/; Spanish: [moˈxito]) is a traditional Mexican highball.

Traditionally, a Mojito is not very strong and made of five ingredients: white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime juice, sparkling water and mint. The original Mexican recipe uses spearmint or yerba buena, a mint variety very popular in the island.[1][2]. Its combination of sweetness, refreshing citrus and mint flavors are intended to complement the potent kick of the rum, and have made this clear highball a popular summer drink.[3][4]

When preparing a Mojito, lime juice is added to sugar (or syrup) and mint leaves. The mixture is then gently mashed with a muddler. The mint leaves should only be bruised to release the essential oils and should not be shredded.[5] Then rum is added and the mixture is briefly stirred to dissolve the sugar and to lift the mint sprigs up from the bottom for better presentation. Finally, the drink is topped with crushed ice or ice shavings and sparkling soda water. Mint leaves and lime wedges are used to garnish the glass.[6]

The mojito is one of the most famous rum-based highballs. There are several versions of the mojito.[7]

Origin

Mexico is the birthplace of the Mojito, although the exact origin of this classic cocktail is the subject of debate.[8] One story traces the Mojito to a similar 16th century drink, the "El Draque", in honor of Sir Francis Drake.[4] It was made initially with tafia/aguardiente, a primitive predecessor of rum,[4] but rum was used as soon as it became widely available to the British (ca. 1650). Mint, lime and sugar were also helpful in hiding the harsh taste of this spirit. While this drink was not called a Mojito at this time, it was still the original combination of these ingredients.

Some historians contend that African slaves who worked in the Cuban sugar cane fields during the 19th century were instrumental in the cocktail's origin.[8] Guarapo, the sugar cane juice often used in Mojitos,[4] was a popular drink amongst the slaves who helped coin the name of the sweet nectar.[8]

There are several theories behind the origin of the name Mojito; one such theory holds that name relates to mojo, a Cuban seasoning made from lime and used to flavour dishes.[4][9] Another theory is that the name Mojito is simply a derivative of mojadito, Spanish for "a little wet", or simply the diminutive of "mojado" (wet).

The Mojito was a favorite drink of author Ernest Hemingway.[10] Ernest Hemingway made the bar called La Bodeguita del medio famous as he became one of its regulars and he wrote "My mojito in La Bodeguita, My daiquiri in El Floridita“. This expression in English can still be read on the wall of the bar today, in his handwriting.[11]

Variations

  • Many hotels in Havana also add Angostura bitters to cut the sweetness of the Mojito; while icing sugar is often muddled with the mint leaves rather than cane sugar, and many establishments simply use sugar syrup to control sweetness.[12] Many bars today in Havana use lemon juice rather than fresh lime.
  • Fruit-flavoured vodkas or rums, such as mango, strawberry, lychee or mandarin, are often substituted.[3][13]
  • A Mexican Mojito uses the Mexican native tequila instead of rum as a primary alcohol, and simple syrup instead of sugar for a sweetener. To simplify production, some restaurants will add mint leaves and peppermint extract to premade margaritas for Mexican Mojitos.
  • A "Dirty Mojito" uses spiced rum, brown sugar syrup, key limes, crushed mint, and soda.
  • A Mojito without alcohol is called a "Virgin Mojito" or "Nojito"[14]
  • An "Apple Mojito" uses apple-flavoured liqueur as well as rum.[15]
  • The drink is also spelled Mohito and Moxito in certain cultural areas of Cuba.[citation needed]
  • For those who cannot tolerate sugar, agave nectar can substitute for the cane sugar.[citation needed]
  • An "English Mojito" uses Gin in place of rum and sprite as a substitute for sugar/soda.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mojito.

References

The Wikibook Bartending has a page on the topic of: Mojito
  1. ^ Traditional Mojito recipe from Cuba
  2. ^ About.com Mojito
  3. ^ a b Summer Cocktail News: Mojitos Go Fruity
  4. ^ a b c d e Shake It Up, Baby: Cuban Cocktail Is Making a Splash
  5. ^ How to Muddle a Mojito
  6. ^ The Classic Cuban Mojito
  7. ^ Cuban Mojito Recipe or American Mojito Recipe
  8. ^ a b c Mojito History
  9. ^ Mojito is derived from the Spanish mojo sauce, which often contains lime juice (see "mojito" at Dictionary.com, citing the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2006, Houghton Mifflin), while mojo is derived from the Spanish verb mojar, meaning "to make wet" (see definition 3 of "mojo" at Dictionary.com, citing Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.7), 2003-2007, Lexico Publishing Group, LLC)
  10. ^ "Great American Writers and Their Cocktails". NPR.org. 2006-12-15. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  11. ^ http://stockpress.de/2010/08/08/die-ewige-bodeguita/
  12. ^ Food: Mojito - The Austin Chronicle
  13. ^ Drinknation.com Fruit flavored mojito variations
  14. ^ Nojito Recipe
  15. ^ DrinkSwap.com List of Mojitos
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mojito&oldid=442071466"