Crooner Culture

Thirsty Thursdays - Mojitos and The Rumba

by Lara on July 19th, 2007

It’s Thursday, gang - time for a classic drink, a little history, and some great dance music.

Let’s start with the mojito recipe:

This is what you need…
Fresh mint leaves
Bitters
Limes, quartered
Ice (preferably crushed, but small chunks will work)
White/light rum
Guarapo (sugar cane juice) (you can use simple syrup or 4 tsp. of sugar (Havana style uses granulated sugar) but the best is to use the guarapo)
Club Soda

1. Muddle 5-6 mint leaves, 3 drops bitters, and 3 lime quarters in the bottom of a tall glass. (If you’re using granulated sugar, add it here prior to muddling.)
2. Fill the glass to the top with ice.
3. Add 2 ounces light rum.
4. Fill the remainder of glass with guarapo, leaving ½” at top of glass (if using it, if not, simply fill with club soda). Top off with club soda.
5. Cover the glass and shake vigorously for 4-5 seconds. Serve with straw. Garnish with lime wedge and sugarcane stick.

Mix one up, and check out a little history of the mojito while listening to Michael Buble’s version of “Save The Last Dance”. You can even practice your rumba steps sitting down, if you can’t stop your feet from moving!

The History
(thanks to The Mojito Company)

Some historians suggest that slaves working in Cuban sugar cane fields in the late 19th century invented the mojito. In fact, this story seems to be related to or, more likely, confused with the origin of the daiquiri, the popular Cuban cocktail made with rum, lime juice, and sugar.

Nevertheless, African slaves may have played some part in the mojito’s history: the slaves seemingly contributed to naming guarapo (sugar cane juice), the sweet nectar that is so vital to the taste of the mojito. African slaves working in Cuban sugar cane fields longed for a drink from their homeland, made from corn and yucca. As a substitute, they crushed sugar cane stalks, releasing and drinking the sweet liquid. The Spanish referred to this juice as jarabe, meaning “nectar” or “syrup.” The Africans, not knowing Spanish, understood this word as “garapa.” Thinking that the slaves were saying “guarapo,” the Cubans created this Spanish word for sugar cane juice.

The earliest “mojito” recipes we have found are from 1931 and 1936 editions of a Sloppy Joe’s Bar Manual. Cuban story-teller Federico Villoch also mentioned a recipe for the mojito in a 1940 book. Angel Martinez opened La Bodeguita del Medio in 1942 as a general store and later converted it into a restaurant and bar in 1946, where the mojito is claimed to have gained popularity in Havana. Frequenting the bar were students, musicians, and soon-to-be celebrities, including Ernest Hemingway, Bridget Bardot, and Nat King Cole. The bar is now a popular tourist stop in Havana. Hemingway’s home in Key West

Just 90 miles from Cuba, Key West eventually embraced the mojito. Due to their geographic proximity, there was a history of people traveling between Cuba and Key West - the rise of the Cuban cigar industry in the late 19th century in Key West and the transportation of beer and rum from Cuba during Prohibition. Perhaps Ernest Hemingway, a supposed mojito drinker, was partly responsible for introducing the drink to Key West, as he moved to Key West in 1928 and was known to have spent a great deal of time between Cuba and Key West in the 1930s. Sloppy Joe’s opened its Key West location in 1933, about the time mojitos were probably first being served. Interestingly, Hemingway was a friend and fishing buddy of Joe Russell, the owner of Sloppy Joe’s.

The mojito made its way to Miami and, made popular by the trendy South Beach scene, has become the drink of choice in other metropolitan areas such as New York and San Francisco by patrons seeking the classic cocktail.

Still dancing? Don’t know how? Check out some basic rumba steps!

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POSTED IN: Michael Buble, Sexy Dances, Swanky Cocktails, The Music