Original mojito cocktail recipe
PHOTOGRAPHY FROM SPIRITED: COCKTAILS FROM AROUND THE WORLD BY ADRIENNE STILLMAN, PHAIDON.
This refreshing Cuban cocktail has become a favourite all over the world.
Origin: Cuba, 1920s-1940s
A Cuban cocktail that has spread all over the world, this cousin of the mint julep first popped up on the bar at Sloppy Joe’s in Havana in 1928, when scores of Americans travelled to the island to escape prohibition.
Ingredients
8-10 mint leaves 30ml simple syrup*
60ml white rum
22ml fresh lime juice
Soda water
2-3 mint sprigs, to garnish
Method
1. Gently muddle the mint and simple syrup in a collins glass.
2. Add the rum and lime juice, then fill halfway with crushed or pebble ice.
3. Stir with a bar spoon or swizzle stick.
4. Add soda water, then top with more pebble ice to fill the glass.
5. Garnish with mint sprigs.
Dipsologist Adrienne Stillman has tirelessly grilled bartenders from Nairobi to Hong Kong, spending long nights sipping and sampling, to bring you this sumptuous summer favourite.
Spirited: Cocktails from around the world by Adrienne Stillman, Phaidon.