The Mango Mojito
This iconic Cuban cocktail is one of my year-round favorites, refreshing and it pairs well with a good cigar. What better drink to sip while sitting on the patio or a winter evening at the lounge while you daydream of a day at the beach. This can be a fun cocktail to make at home and the possibilities are endless, but today we are going to cover the classic version of this drink and a couple of cigars that we think will pair well with it.
The History of The Mojito
Depending on who you talk to, there are 3 versions of the origins of the mojito. Version 1 gives credit to Sir Francis Drake, the English naval captain. While sailing towards to Cuba to possibly conquer the island, his crew began to show signs of dysentery and scurvy. The local South American Indians had remedies for various tropical illnesses, so a small boarding party went ashore in Cuba and came back with ingredients for an effective medicine. The concoction of crude cane rum, lime, sugarcane juice, and mint did the trick, however, lime juice on its own would have prevented scurvy and dysentery.
Version 2 is that African slaves who worked the Cuban sugar cane fields were instrumental in the origins of the cocktail. The sugar cane juice often used in mojitos known as Guarapo was a popular drink among the slaves who named it.
Version 3 revolved around the author Ernest Hemingway and the mojito being his favorite drink. While there are doubts about this being true, it doesn’t hurt to have his name associated with this wonderful cocktail.
What You’ll Need to Make Your Mojito
- Wooden cocktail muddler or unfinished wooden spoon
- Cocktail shaker, if you don’t have one you can use a large metal cup (hot/cold tumblers will also work) or bowl.
Ingredients
- 6 Mint leaves, plus additional for garnish
- 1-ounce lime juice
- 1-ounce simple syrup (more can be added if you like a sweeter drink)
- 2-ounces white rum
- 3-ounces of mango nectar
- 2 to 4 ounces soda water
Simple syrup can be purchased or if you’re the adventurous type you can make your own. This is how you make simple syrup.
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- Pour the sugar and water in a small saucepan, stir to combine, and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce heat and let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved, and syrup is clear.
- Turn off heat, cover pan and allow the syrup to cool.
- Pour syrup into a lidded glass container and store in the refrigerator, unflavored simple syrup will last about 3-4 weeks.
Instructions
- Place the mint in the cocktail shaker and gently muddle the leaves
- Add the lime juice, simple syrup, mango nectar, and rum. Fill the cocktail shaker with ice and shake until cold.
- Place ice cubes into a glass and strain the liquid into glass. Top off glass with soda water and garnish with mint leaves and slices of lime. (Tip: place the mint in the palm of one hand and smack it with the other, this will help release the oils.)
Cigars to pair with your mojito
The Montecristo Classic
This mild to medium-bodied cigar is an excellent choice to pair with a mojito. This cigar is smooth and creamy with subtle spice and woody undertones. Made in the Dominican Republic this cigar features Dominican binder and fillers in a Connecticut shade wrapper.
ADVentura The Royal Return Queen’s Pearls Corona
The tobaccos used in this cigar are aged for five years, and after they are rolled left to age for four months. Handmade in the Dominican Republic, this medium-bodied corona features an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper over Ecuadorian binder and filler from Ecuador, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. This blend has tasting notes of vanilla, hazelnut, and wood, which play well with the earthy-sweet flavors of the mojito.
