“Mojito" comes from the African word "mojo," which mean "to place a spell." The drink has roots as far back as the 1500s. According to The Mojito Company's website, Richard Drake, an English pirate, concocted a beverage similar to the mojito by mixing aguardiente (an unrefined rum), sugar, lime, and mint. He coined the drink "El Draque" (meaning "the dragon") after the nickname of his head honcho, Sir Francis Drake, who made a career of terrorizing South America and the Caribbean. Drake used Cuba as a base island, which is seemingly how the drink arrived there. However, it was in Cuba where slaves working in sugar cane fields in the late 1800s crafted the drink. The mojito later gained tremendous popularity during this century's teen years--most closely tied to Cuba's famous La Bodeguita del Medio bar. The bartenders here helped publicize the drink during the '30s and '40s often resorting to name-dropping, most notably that of Ernest Hemingway. Soon popular with Havana's hipsters, the mojito lifted fresh mint out of its bit part as a mere cocktail garnish. The mojito is now a popular warm weather cocktail worldwide and “mojito parties” are the latest fad.
This party-worthy, hand painted mojito glass set from The Skipping Stone is the latest addition to the sizzling collection of glassware designed by artist Tracy Lolita Yancey. Each 4-piece set comes in a colorful trademark Lolita Mojito Box along with a wooden muddler and recipe book containing tips and recipes for preparing perfect mojitos. Retail Price: $49.95. To purchase the mojito glass set, please visit http://www.theskippingstone.com/
Take note Detroiters: If you are not serving mojitos at home, word’s out that Vincentes in Detroit and Café Habana in Royal Oak both make a knock-out mojito.
