July 22, 2011

Mojitos, a Refreshing Drink with a mysterious History

Mojito: A cocktail consisting of white rum, lime or lemon juice, sugar, mint, ice and carbonated or soda water.


Mojitos on a Saturday night 2011
Mojitos are the perfect way to cool down on one of South Florida's swampy summer nights. During July the evening air is thick, pregnant with impending rain. The cool ocean breeze struggles against sun burnt concrete to bring temperatures back down below 80 degrees in a tug of war of who is mightier.  

Floridians are a people that know how to deal.  Her beauty so potent we can't stay away.  We find our ways to seek comfort in her presence using natures gifts; mint, lime, sugar, rum . . .


Mojitos on a Saturday night 2011

The mojito drink has a mysterious, unverified history with credit being given to pirates and slaves.

One popular lore gives credit to one of Sir Frances Drakes men as the creator of the Mojito's predecessor, the Drak.  It is said that the Queen sent Drake and his men during the 1500's to plunder Cuba.  Cuba stood ready and waiting for the attack to take place.  Drake and his men landed and left quietly after nine days taking with them a drink similar to the Mojito.  The difference is it was made with Aguardiente instead of refined rum.

Another theory is that the slaves that worked in the sugar cane plantations during the 1800's were the true creators of the Mojito we drink today.  But I wonder could the native Indians of the Caribbean with their farming and herbal expertise have also had their influence on this drink.

What we do know is that the combination of sweet sugar with sour lime, mixed with rum, cooled with ice feels very refreshing on a South Florida summer evening.


Have you tried a Mojito?



Cocktail: A mixed alcoholic drink consisting of a spirit combined with fruit juices or other liquors and often served chilled. 
Synonyms: aperitif, appetizer, drink, mixed drink, wine, alcoholic drink, cocktail , hard liquor, hard stuff, hooch, hootch, sauce, spirits, beer, booze, cocktail , drink, hard drink, hard liquor, inebriant, intoxicant, liqueur, liquor, mixed drink, spirits
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6 comments:

Adriana Iris said...

you know it... love me mojito anytime

Leeann @ Join the Gossip said...

Very cool! I am not a big fan of the traditional mojito. I do like the fruity ones though :)

Hello I'm Lala! said...

Oooh!! A mojito sounds REALLY good right about now. And a mock one just won't cut it. (I'm pregnant).

Following from Boost My Blog. I look forward to reading more of your blog ;-)

Lala
http://esmerlala30.blogspot.com

Amy said...

Mojitos are the perfect warm weather drink. I had a "few" of them while we were in Key West ;D

I am a new follower from the blog hop. I hope you will have a moment to come and visit Little Bit and I at: http://socialstudiesmomma.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

My first mojito was in Miami :) The heat wave hit Iowa last week and I had to relearn my swampy summer survival skills, but forgot about mojitos. Thanks for this reminder! And I happily voted for your beautiful blog.

Unknown said...

The only issue I have with mojitos is that they go down too quickly. They're that smooth. Interesting tidbits on the history of this exotic beverage I didn't know. Thanks for the lesson! Voted for you ; D

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