Mojito

It's amazing how much of cocktail history takes place in Cuba. Then again, thanks to the dark days of Prohibition, American cocktail-enthusiasts have a very special relationship with Cuba. Not so long ago, Cuban rum was barely palatable. Even Cubans themselves had to find ways to mask its noxious funk in order to drink it. Farmers would take whatever they had on hand to make their rum go down more easily, and often what they had on hand were the ingredients to what we now know as the Mojito. As Prohibition spread across America, Havana became our favorite offshore bar. The drinks of the Cuban working class made their way to the capital and into the hands of thirsty American tourists who would later recreate them at home. It's a well-know fact that bartenders today have a love-hate relationship with the Mojito, but it remains, nevertheless, an undeniable classic.