Mojito

Mojito, a widely popular citrus cocktail, is a common presence across Indian resto-bars these days. Originally a foreign recipe, this beverage has since gained considerable ground in the subcontinent, especially with young adults. An alcoholic drink comprising sugar, lime juice, white rum, soda and lots of mint leaves, the Mojito is a one-stop solution for refreshment.

Originating in Havana (Cuba), this cocktail was a crucial drink during the cholera epidemics that ravaged the country. To counter the ill-effects of the notorious disease, the Cubans were believed to have consumed several glasses of this drink per day. The high citrus content in Mojito worked to undercut the spreading of infection and patients consuming Mojitos were known to have recovered quicker.

Though Cuba is generally considered the birthplace of the drink, there is much debate about the Mojito's actual genesis. One account describes how South Americans journeyed to the country and returned with the required ingredients. They brought back aguardiente de caña (which literally translates to burning water), an unrefined form of rum, along with sugarcanes, limes and mint. The local resources were quickly thrown into a mixer and blended with ice cubes, ultimately producing the proverbial Mojito.

Another story talks about Sir Francis Drake, a privateer under the command of the English monarch Queen Elizabeth I, who landed off the coast of Cuba in 1586. His crew were severely under the weather with a bad bout of scurvy and dysentery. Some enterprising men made their way into the Cuban mainland and sourced the drink, which they later got back to the English ship for their ailing companions. It is said that the cocktail was so beneficial that Drake decided not to ravage the city of its gold and instead turned his ship for a return voyage.

The probable origin of the word Mojito comes from the Cuban lime-based seasoning called mojo. The drink gained further popularity when Bacardi began selling the drinks in the 1800s.

World renowned author Ernest Hemingway was famously inclined towards the Mojito and quite enjoyed its zesty afterpunch. Such stupendous occurences could hardly be brushed under the carpet, and soon the world discovered this minty beverage with the deliciously brazen bitterness of the alcohol. In fact, the drink even has a crucial role in the 2002 James Bond feature film titled Die Another Day.