I am now a total expert in the art of Mojito and Daiquiri making thanks to not only a visit to the home of the Mojito this summer (Havana) and a tour around the Havana Club Museum to understand the history, but also because of a cocktail making class with Mike Foster, a brand ambassador for the Havana Club on Friday night at Olympic Studios. Combining the two has turned me into a total rum bore and now all I want to do is swan around in my dressing gown drinking daiquiri’s all day long, which is probably not a good look.
So here you go – a (very) brief history of rum as I understand it, from our tour of the museum, followed far more importantly by the recipe for how to make the perfect Mojito and Daiquiri.
Rum is derived from the byproduct of sugar cane – from molasses which was first introduced into Cuba by Christopher Columbus where it grows like wildfire and is referred to as Cuban grass – the same field can often be harvested up to four times it grows so fast. “Havana Club” is a brand of rum created in Cuba in 1934 and is now one of the best selling rum brands in the world with over 4 million cases sold per year. Germany is it’s strongest market, then Spain and then the UK is third (but don’t talk to them about Bacardi…).
The sugar cane:-
There are only 8 rum masters in Cuba – one of which is a woman and understandably they are highly revered and have to keep BIG secrets:-
During prohibition in the US between 1920 and 1933 Cuba became a playground for the rich and famous…and the mafia. But in 1959 came the revolution whereby Fidel Castro, Che Guevara et al imposed communism on the island and everything became state owned. The Cubans still get their food rations, together with a bottle of rum a week.
Since 1994 the rum has been produced in Cuba and sold globally – except to the USA by Havana Club International, a 50/50 JV between Pernod Ricard and the Cuban government.
There are a number of different grades of Havana club rum – but it is the 3 year aged rum that is recommended for mixing with cocktails. At the museum we were shown bottles that ranged from a few $ per bottle to gold inlaid bottles that cost over $1,000 each.
The home of the Mojito in Cuba was apparently at the Bodeguita del Medio Bar in Havana where you can sign your name on the wall.
Here we all are at the museum in their typical bar:-
Enjoy…
Swiftly moving back to London and I still managed to find a way to drink rum thanks to a cocktail making class given by Mike Foster, an ambassador for the Havana Club – slightly wondering how many people are a little envious of his job:-
Thanks Mike for a thoroughly enjoyable excuse to drink rum!
RECIPE FOR A CUBAN MOJITO
50mls rum
3 spoons liquid sugar
8-10 mint leaves
Juice of half a lime
Cubed ice
Soda water
Crush the mint leaves in with the liquid sugar and add the lime juice.
Fill the glass up to the top with ice cubes (not crushed)
Top up with soda water and then pour in the rum so that it’s as cold as possible.
Stir gently to keep the bubbles
Please a sprig of mint on the side (or underneath the straw if you’re using one to keep the minty aroma going)
DRINK and ENJOY
RECIPE FOR A CLASSIC DAIQUIRI
I had no idea the classic Daiquiri was so easy to make and is delicious. All it contains is rum, lime and sugar and if you always remember the 3-2-1 rule when it comes to alcohol, sour and sweet – you can make whatever quantity you like.
50 ml rum
25ml lime juice
20 ml liquid sugar
Ice
Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and SHAKE furiously in a seatbelt sort of motion until your hands are too cold to carry on.
Sieve through a cocktail sieve and then a tea strainer directly into the glass. OR put it all in a blender if you have one, like they are doing in the El Floridita shot…saves the cold hands
Shake furiously:-
Sieve:-
The finished product:-
DRINK, ENJOY, REPEAT (ad infinitum till you need to go to bed).
