Whilst you wouldn't necessarily think of a Mojito as a *wholesome *drink it was created with health benefits in mind. We spoke to bartender extraordinaire and Bacardi global brand amabassador David Cordoba about the drink that you basically drink all summer.
First up, what's a mojito?
The Mojito is based on a 16th century drink known as the Draque. It was introduced to Cuba by Richard Drake who created it with the intention to make life better for sailors - it's comprised of 3 ingredients which all had a specific medicinal purpose; lime to provide Vitamin C and help prevent scurvy, mint to aid digestion and rum to help purify the water .
Have you got the prefect recipe for us?
Sure! You need...
2 Parts Bacardi Superior Rum
1/2 fresh cut lime
12 fresh mint leaves
2 heaped bar spoons of caster sugar
Splash of soda water
Cubed ice – to fill
Sprig of fresh mint to garnish
A muddler (or rolling pin)
A spoon
Some crushed ice
Then follow these steps…
When should you drink it?
It's a good start of the evening aperitif - a drink to enjoy and relax with.
What's the key to getting it just right in terms of sweetness and sourness?
The control of sugar is critical - use exactly two teaspoons of sugar and add exactly half a decent sized lime. It's essential to get the right amount of sugar right up front as it's very difficult to rectify afterwards as it becomes practically impossible to dissolve the sugar in a drink once the ice has been included.
And why caster sugar rather than other sugar?
White caster sugar is very important, brown sugar has notes of caramel and vanilla so will influence the taste of the drink. Caster sugar is the easiest to dissolve and easy to get hold of!
Any additional tips?
It is incredibly important to treat the mint leaves well, bruise them don't destroy them - this is important for the aesthetics of the drink, no-one wants to see a murky drink with tiny bits of mint floating around and it allows the menthol to gently infuse with the other ingredients to provide the taste that is, the Mojito.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.