Mojito Criollo

The mojito is a drink that originated on sugar plantations in Cuba. Cane cutters working in the fields were provided by the plantation owner with barrels of guarapo, fresh sugarcane juice. The workers often added a bunch of fresh mint, hierba buena, to the guarapo to flavor it, and on special occasions they spiked it with aguardiente, a rough form of rum. Over the years, the drink became fashionable and evolved.

The recipe that follows is an updated versi