One Bottle One Drink – Mojito

Of course, the Mojito needs no introduction. However, it is not so easy to make a really good one. When I got my hands on the Ramero Rum from the folks behind Heimat Gin, I just had to try the famous Cuban highball. So, I got some mint from the balcony and mixed up a slightly improved version.

The Draque supposedly is the forefather of the Mojito. This combination of Aguardiente de Cana, lime, sugar and mint was created to honour the landing of Sir Francis Drake on Cuba in 1586. In the 19th century, the cocktail changed with a switch to rum and was also renamed Mojito. Another story was that Americans introduced the Cubans to the Mint Julep during Prohibition and this eventually lead to the creation of the Mojito. Nevertheless, it is hard to find a superb Mojito in bars. I always struggled to find the perfect rum for the drink. The original Cuban rums were a bit too harsh for me. At the same time, I do not like Jamaican rum notes in my Mojitos. So, I made one using the Ramero Rum Blanco.

Rum and bitters

It is up for some debate, if you should finish your Mojito with a few dashes of Angostura Bitters. Since I love bitters, I decided to use a healthy dash of them on top of the drink. Another important thing is to take your time when mixing up a Mojito. I like to “macerate” the mint sprigs in the lime juice as well as the rum for at least five minutes. Furthermore, I went from shaking the drink too stirring it. Shaking might get you there faster, but it results in a kind of “Smash” flavour which I am not too keen on. Last but not least, I used gomme syrup instead of regular simple syrup, just to get a bit more flavour without altering the drink’s profile too much.

At least for me, the Mojito with the Ramero Rum is one of the best Mojitos I had in years. It is refreshing with just enough rum notes. You can taste a lot of mint, but it is a clear and clean, not a slouchy flavour. The soda water greatly balances the sweet and sour mix in the drink.