Mojito - A Story About Pirates, Slaves And Rum

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

The mojito is one of the most served cocktails on the planet. In bars, on the beaches, prepared at home… A powerful source of good mood in the summer.

And unique. Which is probably largely due to his surprising story, which began with a time of slavery and plunder of the Kabirs and ended with them getting married and making a lot of mint cocktails.

In fact, as there are different stories for all cocktails, there are countless ones for Mojito. According to passionate mojito historians, it was invented in the late 19th century in Havana, long before it began to attract worldwide interest.

A drink similar to the famous cocktail was created around the year 1500. Legend has it that Richard Drake, a British pirate, prepared a drink combining aguardiente (unrefined rum), sugar, green lemon and mint, which he called El Draque (The Dragon). The pirate dedicated the drink to his captain, Sir Francis Drake, who was infamous for terrorizing the natives of South America and the Caribbean.

Cuba was a major territory for Drake's atrocities, and this explains why the dragon drink appeared there. The El Draque cocktail quickly gained fame in other Latin American countries - Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela. States also ruthlessly plundered by Drake and his horde of pirates. The recipe was passed on by word of mouth, from pirate to pirate, changing from year to year and from century to century to become today's Mojito.

However, some historians prefer a completely different legend (told in a whisper (). She suggests that The mojito was invented from slaves working in the Cuban fields with sugar cane. According to this story, they have a hand in the creation of the drink, and in particular Guarparo, the sugar cane juice that gives the main taste of Mojito. It is possible that it was the African slaves who first mixed Guarparo and Aguardiente.

Here it is important to add that Guarparo is the predecessor of rum, which, as we know, is a distilled alcohol derived from sugar cane. And because sugar cane (and later rum) were found in huge quantities in Cuba, the island quickly became famous for its sweetened beverages (such as Daikirito). By the way, Daiquirito was known in Havana long before Mojito.

Because Daiquiri combines rum, green lemon juice, sugar and ice, some more skeptical historians believe that Mojito is just a different version of Daiquiri. But the passionate supporters of the famous cocktail immediately replied: No, no and no!

And indeed, no matter how similar their ingredients are, their ways of preparation are completely different.

The earliest written traces of The mojito can be found in the 1931 and 1936 editions of Sloppy Joe’s Bar recipe book. In 1942, a man named Angel Martinez opened the La Bodeguita del Medio store in the Cuban capital, which he later turned into a bar and restaurant. There, in 1946, Mojito became Havana's famous drink for the first time. Many famous people come to La Bodeguita del Medio, such as the young Bridget Bardot, Ernest Hemingway and Nat King Cole.

The mojito it spread rapidly and reached the United States, especially in Miami, where it reached an unprecedented level of popularity. New York and San Francisco follow. Since 1990, Mojito has crossed the borders of Europe and is slowly becoming one of the most popular drinks.

And now, because probably everyone who has reached the end of the story is already drinking Mojito, here is an interesting recipe that is offered in the recently opened bar in Manchester, Banyan Tree.

Put half a green lemon, cut into small pieces and a teaspoon of brown sugar on the bottom of a tall cup. Knock the mixture to extract the lime juice, and wait for the sugar to melt.

Add 6 to 8 leaves of fresh mint and beat again. Add 25 ml of white rum and 25 ml of Amaretto. Stir with a spoon and add apple juice. You can decorate with a slice of lime and apple.

Drink in moderation, as always, and combine with roasted vegetables and meats.

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