Libations, Libations, Libations!!!

In Cuba, Libations were not offered up to some deity in a religious ritural,  but were offered up to our Wolftrek group, wherever we went, to say "welcome".  The most common "welcome" drink was the Mojito. When we first arrived at our Hotel Melia Havana there was a Mojito waiting for us.

A Mojito.

If not the Mojito then Sangria was offered to say welcome.  Whatever the drink it always seemed to contain rum.  Actually the only way I like rum is in my rum cake where there is a rum glaze applied to the cake.  And being a virtual "teetotaler" I consumed mostly "virgin" Mojitos, everything sans the rum.

After the welcome drink, the most popular drink for lunch or dinner among our crowd seemed to be the Bucanero, a dark Cuban beer.

A favorite beer, the Bucanero.

Everyone at the table ordered Bucaneros.

A glass of Bucanero, a dark strong beer.

I usually opted for a Cuban Cola.  Once we were served a genuine Coca Cola, but it was made in Mexico.

The Cuban Cola.

At the La Floridita Restaurant we were served Hemingway's favorite drink, Big Blue Sky.

Assembly line of Big Blue Sky Cocktails.

Hemingway's famous Big Blue Sky.

My virgin Big Blue Sky, that wasn't blue at all.

At the Hotel Nacional, we were served strawberry daiquiris.

A Strawberry Daiquiri.

At the Hemingway Farm, one could buy a Sugar Cane Cocktail, made from juice freshly squeezed on site from sugar cane. 

Rebecca's cane sugar cocktail. 

Yes, there was certainly plenty to drink, but actually we drank more bottled water than anything else.  It was hot and humid, and we drank water copiously to avoid dehydration.

The Cuban Welcome Drink: The Mojito

The Mojito

I've just returned from a week in Cuba as part of the NC State University Wolftrek People to People trip, and this is the first of a number of posts I'll be doing on this blog about the trip.  

We were almost always welcomed at restaurants,  hotels and other places of interest with a drink, and it was often the Mojito.  I found this recipe that is supposedly the recipe that Hemingway enjoyed at the Mojito's place of birth, La Bodeguita del Medio.

We made a quick pass by La Bodeguita del Medio, but weren't able to have a drink or a meal there. 

The Bar

Mojito Recipe Ingredients:

1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lime (2 ounces)
4 mint leaves
1 sprig of mint
Havana Club white Rum (2 ounces)
2 ounces club soda

Place the mint leaves into a tall glass and squeeze the juice from a cut lime over it. You'll want about two ounces of lime juice, so it may not require all of the juice from a single lime.

Add the powdered sugar, then gently smash the mint into the lime juice and sugar with the back of a spoon. Add ice, then add the rum and stir, and top off with the club soda (you can also stir the club soda in as per your taste). Garnish with a mint sprig. Serves 1.

Here's a video showing how to make a Mojito.