Dating back to the 1800’s, the mojito is said to have stemmed from the favorite drink, “El Draque,” of sea captain Francis Drake. Others believe that sugar cane field workers started making the drink as a refreshment to cool off from the hot Caribbean sun. Either way it came to be, the drink was perfected in the exotic sun-drenched bars of Havana, where Earnest Hemingway sipped while he wrote the famous “My mojito in La Bodeguita, My daiquiri in El Floridita.”
With the mercury gradually rising to its mid-summer apex here in the Queen City, the mojito is the perfect way to cool down. And factually (or at least for us), there is not a better mojito in town than the one muddled and shaken up by bartender Christian Bengle of Providence Cafe. The New Jersey native learned the mixology trade at the casinos in Atlantic City where he served up everything from manhattans to pain killers (a drink made with rum, pineapple juice, pina colada mix). Christian relocated to Charlotte and now shares his 21 years of cocktail creation experience with the patrons of the Providence Road hotspot. See the mojito recipe below or visit www.providencecafe.com for more details.
The Recipe
4 Large (Pineapple) Mint Leaves muddled
1.5 Ounces of Pusser’s Rum
1.5 Ounces of Simple Syrup (1 part sugar, 6 parts water)
.5 Ounce of fresh squeezed lime juice
1 Ounce soda water (or 7-up)
Shake well, pour, and garnish with mint leaf and lime.
For more information visit www.napaonprovidence.com
