Where to get the best Mojito in Cuba?
What happens when you combine rum with some of the freshest sugar cane and fruits in the Caribbean — yep that’s right …the best Cuban cocktails. Many of it’s cocktails are famous around the world and taste best when sampled in one of Havana’s old bars like Floridita or newcomer’s like El del Frente or on one of its beautiful beaches. Rum traces its lineage to Brazil and India and is made by fermenting sugarcane juice then aging in oak barrels. Prohibition in the USA gave birth to the Golden Age of Cocktails (1890s through 1930s). The Club de Cantanero’s de Cuba came into being and still trains some local bartenders and even had an official manual.
Our very own Cantinera — Diana Figueroa from San Isidro hangout Jibaro gives one of the best Cocktail making classes in Havana and even has a Royal Seal of Approval from Prince Charles and Camillla Duchess of Cornwall.
Here is our recipe for Mojito first tasted in the region when local inhabitants brought a mix of Aquadiente, Sugar, Mint and Lime juice as a medicinal drink to the ill and vitamin depleted sailor’s. Many years later it was made famous by Ernest Hemingway who brought it to the international set. Nowadays it is one of the world’s most refreshing and sophisticated cocktails.
Where to get the best mojito in Cuba? — Easy — Diana’s bespoke Mojitos at Jibaro are legendary and of course she like uses Yerba Buena not mint. Here is the Recipe.
MOJITO — Shot of white rum — 2 teaspoons of white sugar — ½ lime (juiced) — 2 sprigs of yerba Buena (about 10–12 leaves) — Splash sparkling water — Good handful Crushed Ice. Muddle the mint sprigs in with the lime and sugar with the bottom of a tablespoon.
Add the rum and mix again. Add the crushed ice. Top up with sparkling water. Serve with a sprig of Yerba Buena and if you like a dash of angostura bitters to enhance the taste.
Learn more Cuban Cocktails from this excellent Cuban Barbook — or Book a master class with Diana by emailing enquiries@cubaprivatetravel.com.
Visit our website cubaprivatetravel.com
