Fresh Blueberry Mojito

When we talk about ideal cosmopolitan cocktails, Mojito undoubtedly features in the top tier of the list. The traditional recipe for this summertime alcoholic elixir includes white rum, sugarcane juice or sugar syrup, lime juice and mint leaves. But rather than the tropical vibe effervescing in every transcending bubble, it is the unimaginable diversity of ingredients that can blend into the drink’s core mixture that makes the Mojito the epitome of contemporary liquor improvisation.

One such refreshing twist to the classic Mojito recipe is the Fresh Blueberry Mojito, which relies, as the name suggests, on the distinctive colour, flavour and texture of blueberries for the perfect quaff. To make a glass of this exquisite cocktail, preferably fresh, but also frozen or thawed blueberries are mixed with lime juice, sugar, and mint leaves and crushed with a cocktail muddler to release the mint oils and berry juices. White rum and soda are then poured into the mixture, stirred, and served with a refreshing slice of lime. The citrus aroma and the distinctive berry flavour make the cocktail an absolute enjoyment after a scorching summer day of engagements.

While variations like the Fresh Blueberry Mojito are 21st century concoctions, the traditional Mojito dates back to 1586 when Sir Francis Drake, a privateer sponsored by Queen Elizabeth I, landed in Havana to sack the city of its Aztec gold. Down with dysentery and scurvy, the native Latin Americans treated Drake and his crew with a local tonic made from Aguardiente de Cana (sugarcane alcohol), mint leaves and lime juice, which helped the men recover and subsequently became a famous Cuban cocktail called El Draque. While some presume this story as the origin tale of this fantastic modern cocktail, others believe that the drink was a brainchild of African slaves working in the sugarcane plantations of Cuba during the period. There is however a general consensus that switching the sugarcane liquor with fresh white rum was done by Facundo Bacardi Masso, the creator of the legendary Bacardi group of liquors, in the 1850s. It was with the altercation of rum that the age-old Draque became the popular Mojito.