Here is the history behind the drink.
"First off, the mojito has a legendary history of its own; the buccaneering lore behind this particular drink is noteworthy. There's much debate as to when exactly the mojito was invented and by whom. Many claim it was crafted in Cuba in the late 1800s. Others elaborate on this theory saying that the mojito was the preferred beverage of Sir Francis Drake as early as the 1500s. According to The Mojito Company's website, it was English pirate Richard Drake who prepared the first version of the drink using aguardiente (in Spanish that means fire water- the HARD liquor of choice in my birth country Colombia), an unrefined kind of rum that he mixed with some sugar, lime and mint. Originally named "El Draque" (or the Dragon after his boss Sir Francis), story has it the swashbucklers introduced the drink to Cuba on their treasure-hunting exploits through the Caribbean and Latin America.
A mere 90 kilometres from Cuba, Key West revels in the merriment of the mojito (and just about every other cocktail known to man). I've heard there are fine versions of this drink there, but the one my husband and I choked down was dismal. Ideally, a good mojito is made with muddled, fresh mint, guarapo (sweet sugar cane juice) or a simple syrup if guarapo is not available, good quality dark rum, freshly squeezed lime juice and a shot of soda water. Unfortunately, we got a bland, murky mess with slivers of chopped up mint- it was like picking newly cut grass out of your mouth in every sip. Perhaps Ernest Hemmingway's local watering hole Sloppy Joes makes a better version. I didn't get a chance to find out.
Undaunted, I headed back up to Fort Lauderdale with my husband and our local friends for what I hoped would make up for the Key West mojito debacle of 2006. As I recalled, a funky Latin resto called The Samba Room in Ft. Lauderdale made the very best mojitos I'd ever had the pleasure of sampling. Served in tall, frosted glasses with properly muddled fresh mint, their mojitos always had just the right amount of sweetness, rum and the show-stopper piece- a built-in swizzle stick of fresh sugar cane! I worried that my memories of the drink and reality wouldn't happily coincide, but with my game-face on, we walked into the establishment and ordered a round of the citrus-infused drink along with some wonderful appetizers (the arepa is sensational- it literally evaporated from the plate!).
The waiter returned with the tall, frosted glasses, filled with the sweet nectar, sugar cane swizzle sticks included. We all took one sip and instantly, my husband's face lit up. "This is SO much better than the mojitos we drank in Cuba!" he proclaimed. I had to agree- but when you're staying at an all-inclusive resort, the perfect mojito is not likely to be included, if you know what I mean. These however were ideal- fresh, minty, not too sweet, and not too heavy- just right. So right in fact, that you could down a few and then have a hard time staying on the chic bar stools surrounded by all of the pretty people that frequent the place.
I can't vouch for the mojitos in The Samba Room's Denver, Dallas, Houston or Orlando locations, but if they're anything like the ones in Ft. Lauderdale, you won't be disappointed. Now if only the barkeeps in Toronto could replicate the Samba Room's version here, our short-lived summers would be all the sweeter!"
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