One of the most favourite beverages for many teetotallers, Virgin Mojito is quite a saviour for non-drinkers at every party. But where does it get its name from?
Mojito is traditionally made from white rum, sugar syrup, lime juice, fizzy water, spearmint, and soda. But who invented it and how did its virgin version came from– is the question
According to a legend, a friend of the English piratical Sir Francis Drake created the mojito in Havana in the 1500s. The story says that his crew had scurvy and dysentery.
The native people of that place had the cure for both diseases. Men went in quest of assistance and returned with aguardiente, mint leaves, lime juice, and sugar cane juice.
A concoction was quickly made with the ingredients and given to the sick crew. Soon after, a beverage called "El Draque," with similar ingredients gained popularity in Cuba.
A virgin drink, however, is a beverage that does not contain any alcohol. Thus, a mojito without alcohol is dubbed "Virgin Mojito" or Nojito.
The word virgin is associated with the annals of mocktails or the drinks that replace alcohol with a flavoured mixer like ginger ale, ginger beer, or tonic water.
The moniker is said to have roots in the prohibition era when people were restricted from going out and ordering drinks with alcohol.
The Bloody Mary, a cocktail made with vodka and tomato juice, gained popularity during Prohibition. But people couldn’t go out and order a Bloody Mary, instead, they would call for a Virgin Mary.
It was simply tomato juice. This version was rather an ironic method to confirm that the person wasn't ordering alcohol.