A Hungry Bear

With the impending thaw in US-Cuba relations (we might actually be able to travel there soon!) thanks to Obama, I’ve been feeling the Cuba love lately. Not very many people know this, but I actually majored in both history and political science - surprising since I’m now in software marketing. Not only that, but I wrote my thesis on the Cuban Revolution! Completely irrelevant to how I make a living now, but I’m still fascinated by Cuba. To help count down the days till I can finally see it in real life, I’ll stay busy with my Cuban Mojitos and re-reading my favorite revolutionary hero biographies. And even if you don’t care an iota about Cuba, if it’s warm outside where you are, there’s nothing more refreshing than a fizzy, minty mojito.

Cast of characters: white rum, lime, a couple sprigs of mint, bitters (optional - arguably not authentic but it’s great for balancing out the sweetness), superfine bar sugar or cane syrup, club soda. You’ll also need a highball glass and a muddler. If you don’t have a muddler, you can use the flat end of a rubber kitchen utensil handle.

Start by putting about 10-12 mint leaves in the bottom of the glass. Follow with a teaspoon of sugar or sugar syrup.

Add the juice of one lime. To help get as much juice as possible out of the lime, place it in the microwave for 10 seconds before slicing.

Muddle if you have a muddler, or improvise with any rubber-handled kitchen utensil. The idea is to crush the mint leaves so they release all their juices and flavor into the sugar and lime juice. I don’t like to rip them into tiny pieces the way some bartenders do, because they end up getting caught in the straw (or in your teeth - even better!).

Add just a dash of bitters. Or, if you’re trying to hold a camera at the same time, accidentally add 5 dashes too many.

Fill the glass with crushed ice, then pour in 2 ounces of rum. I just keep pouring it till there’s a little room left on top for the club soda, since I really love Cuba.

Top with club soda, and stir.