Try These Unique Mojitos for National Mojito Day

Today is National Mojito Day (July 11th) and wouldn’t you know it, mid-July feels like the right time of year to celebrate the Mojito; it’s peak summer, we’re all looking for drinks that will help quench the thirst, and Mojitos are just a really good social drink. So let’s celebrate the Mojito with some creative twists on the classic.

First a little fun history. The origins of the Mojito can actually be traced back to the early 1500s, in fact it may be the earliest recorded cocktail in human history. Sir Francis Drake landed in Havana to sack the city of its gold. The invasion was unsuccessful as his crew were suffering from dysentery and scurvy. Local South American Indians were known to have remedies for many diseases, so a small party went ashore to Cuba and came back with ingredients for a medicine.

Using aguarediente de cana, mint leaves, and the juices from sugar cane and limes the crew put together a tonic which turned out to be effective. We know now that the lime juice was the helpful ingredient, and after that a cocktail named “El Draque” became popular in Cuba after that time, and supposedly named after Drake himself.

Fast forward a few hundred years and the creation of the Bacardi company in the mid 1800s was most likely the cause of the booming Mojito popularity, supported by the likes of drinkers like Ernest Hemmingway sealed the deal for it to become one of the most popular modern cocktails.

With the history lesson over, let’s get on to making some cocktails!

Bacardi Cardamom Mojito

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Bacardí Superior
• 1 oz cardamom syrup (1/4 cup cardamom pods, 1 cup boiling water and
  sugar)
• 6 mint leafs
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• Soda

Coconut Blueberry Mojito Popsicles

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsps honey
• 0.75 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 0.25 cup white rum
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 0.5 cup sparkling water
• Fresh blueberries

Method: In a pitcher, whisk the honey and lime juice until dissolved. Add the coconut milk, rum, and mint and whisk until well mixed. Add the sparkling water and stir once. Divide the mixture in popsicle molds, add fresh blueberries and set the sticks in place. Transfer to the freezer and chill overnight, or until solid.

Flor Ultimate Mojito

Ingredients:

• 2 oz  Flor de Caña Gran Reserva 7
• 0.5 oz Lime Juice
• 0.25 oz Superfine Sugar
• Champagne

Method: Muddle lime juice with sugar in a collins glass. Add mint leaves and muddle again. Fill glass 2/3 full with crushed ice and add rum. Top off with champagne float. Garnish with sprig of mint.

Blood Orange Mojito

Ingredients:

• 8 sprigs of mint
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 oz white rum
• 1 oz blood orange juice
• 1 tbsp simple syrup
• 2 oz sparkling water

Method: Add the mint and lime juice to a collins glass. Muddle together to extract the mint. Add in rum, blood orange juice and simple syrup. Fill glass with ice and top with sparkling water. Garnish with a slice of blood orange and a sprig of mint.

Pineapple Twist Mojito

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp sugar
• Half of a fresh lime
• 2 sprigs of mint
• 1.5 oz Havana Club Anejo 3 Anos rum
• 3 oz fresh pineapple juice

Method: Add sugar and lime juice to a collins glass and mix to combine. Add mint and muddle. Add rum, ice and pineapple juice and mix to combine. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and mint sprig.