In Miami, a Search for a Perfect Mojito

LIKE MANY OF Miami’s purest pleasures, the mojito is uncomplicated and a little unruly. On a hot day, the classic Cuban cocktail—a frosty amalgam of rum, lime, mint, sugar, soda and copious amounts of ice—delivers profound refreshment. Despite its enduring popularity, the mojito is saddled with a bit of a bad reputation among cocktail cognoscenti: Overzealous bartenders often debauch it with too much sugar, too much booze, or fruit and other flavors, misdeeds that add more color than coherence. Look past its louche present, however, and you’ll find a long, sometimes apocryphal, history.

“Cuban folklore traces the Mojito’s origin back to 1586,” reads the Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails, “when Sir Francis Drake’s crew cured their fever with a similar mixture.” Versions of the cocktail knocked around the island, both as a preventive for cholera and as a way to make harsh rum more palatable. In the early 20th century, with the addition of soda and ice, the mojito as we now know it emerged. Then, with generations of immigrants, it took root in Miami before colonizing brunch tables the world over. In Miami, it’s ubiquitous. From the Bacardi Mojito Bar in the airport terminal to the drive-through window at fast food chain Pollo Tropical, finding one has never been easier. Finding a good one? Still tricky. We’re here to help.