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Mojito & Bitters, Final Verdict
Darcy O'Neil :: August 4, 2006 12:39 AM
Last week I discussed the Mojito and how it is traditionally made in Cuba. Jamie Boudreau posted a good question in the comment in section, inquiring whether bitters is actually included in a mojito. Tonight, Felix, the Cuban bartender, came to Mint for dinner, so I had an opportunity to follow up with him, regarding this little issue. After making him a mojito, sans the bitters, I asked him if they used bitters in mojito's in Cuba. His answer was no, they do not. The mojito is made with lime, sugar, mint, rum, ice and soda water and nothing else. Somewhere in Cuba a bartender is adding bitters I'm sure, but as far as I'm concerned there are no bitters in a classic Cuban Mojito. I hope this helps.
126 Comments on Mojito & Bitters, Final Verdict
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Whilst studying spanish in Cuba I occasionally sampled the odd Mojito and can tell you that the famous El Floridita bar in Old Havana did add bitters to their mojitos but nothing beats sitting in in one of the little bars on Calle 23 sippin a classic cuban mojito sin bitters!
With Bitters,With Bitters,With Bitters,With Bitters,With Bitters,With Bitters to infinity
I was in Cuba 2 months ago.
Everywhere they put herbal bitter in the mojito!
And I had a lot of mojitos, I assure you;-)
I was in Havana a few months back and drank mojitos all over town. As often as not they came with bitters. I'd say it was about a 50/50 split between places that added bitters and those that didn't.
Personally I quite like the bitters.
The house mojito at Havana's most famous hotel, The Hotel Naccional, not only uses a dash of Angostura bitters, but also has a float of Havana 7yo. The mojito at the La Bodeguita del Medio however is sans bitters but they produce so many of them it's more like a factory with tourists than a bar. Personally I prefered the Hotel Naccional's interpretation..... When in Rome as they say!
I missed the Mojito at the Hotel Naccional, having got awfully distracted by their Daiquiris. Think I also had an El Presidente there too, and maybe a Mary Pickford, and possibly a Cuba Libre too. They had a nice cocktail list. My main criticism would be that the drinks tended not to be quite cold and concentrated enough.
Amazing outdoor area though, just exceptional. . .