Post by Ace on Jul 27, 2006 22:47:25 GMT -5
Mojitos: It's cold. It's refreshing. It's Cuban. It's the summer's hottest drink on the big screen
07/27/2006 04:16:08 PM EDT
Daily Press (Newport News, VA) (KRT)
Jul. 27--The key is the mint. It has to be fresh. That's why Rebecca Overby grows four varieties of mint in the small garden she keeps on the premises at Tapas Lounge in Port Warwick. So that when customers order mojitos, they can see they're getting the real deal.
And it seems like everyone is ordering mojitos these days - partly because the rum concoction with mint and lime is a cool drink on a hot day, and partly because it's associated with a cool movie. Bacardi lined up a product tie-in with the makers of "Miami Vice," and when that movie opens on Friday, you can expect to see characters chilling out with mojitos in hand.
"You see that a lot, when movies or TV shows can make a drink popular," says Overby, who makes several different types of mojito that range in price from $8-12. "The Cosmopolitan was an old classic, but when they started drinking it on 'Sex in the City,' suddenly everyone was ordering them. We've seen that with the mojito, too."
It actually started in 2002 with James Bond, the secret agent who long ago did great things for the martini ("shaken, not stirred"). In an instantly iconic moment, Halle Berry's character Jinx emerged from the surf and walked up to Pierce Brosnan at a seaside bar. Brosnan's Bond looked at her coolly and said one word: "Mojito?"
"Right after that," says Terry Dickerson, who operates the Academy of Bartending in Newport News, "everyone left the theater and asked the bartender, 'What's a mojito?' "
The answer: It's a rum drink that originated in Cuba, which is what made it a natural for the "Miami Vice" movie. The film hasn't opened yet, but already Bacardi's marketing ploy has started working.
"The mojito is definitely the 'it' drink this summer," says Mark Flores, who mixes them behind the bar at The Blue Cactus in Newport News. "It's very cool and refreshing, and I've noticed an extreme amount of people ordering it."
It's why local bars are stocking up on fresh mint, whether they grow their own or import it. If you're not a professional bartender, you have the same option - grow some mint in the backyard, or buy it at a grocery store or health food store.
The basic mojito uses the mint leaves and lime juice to give a cool edge to the rum. It's generally topped off with club soda, though everyone who makes them has his own twist.
At a customer's suggestion, Overby has created a mojito that uses champagne in place of the club soda.
She's tentatively calling it the Mo'Pagne.
She also has different types of mint that she can use - chocolate, spearmint, peppermint and orange - to provide several distinct types of mojito.
"Once you start to like this drink," Overby says, "there's all sorts of different ways to experiment with it. There are as many different ways to make mojitos are as there are people who like to drink them."
Copyright (c) 2006, Daily Press, Newport News, Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
07/27/2006 04:16:08 PM EDT
Daily Press (Newport News, VA) (KRT)
Jul. 27--The key is the mint. It has to be fresh. That's why Rebecca Overby grows four varieties of mint in the small garden she keeps on the premises at Tapas Lounge in Port Warwick. So that when customers order mojitos, they can see they're getting the real deal.
And it seems like everyone is ordering mojitos these days - partly because the rum concoction with mint and lime is a cool drink on a hot day, and partly because it's associated with a cool movie. Bacardi lined up a product tie-in with the makers of "Miami Vice," and when that movie opens on Friday, you can expect to see characters chilling out with mojitos in hand.
"You see that a lot, when movies or TV shows can make a drink popular," says Overby, who makes several different types of mojito that range in price from $8-12. "The Cosmopolitan was an old classic, but when they started drinking it on 'Sex in the City,' suddenly everyone was ordering them. We've seen that with the mojito, too."
It actually started in 2002 with James Bond, the secret agent who long ago did great things for the martini ("shaken, not stirred"). In an instantly iconic moment, Halle Berry's character Jinx emerged from the surf and walked up to Pierce Brosnan at a seaside bar. Brosnan's Bond looked at her coolly and said one word: "Mojito?"
"Right after that," says Terry Dickerson, who operates the Academy of Bartending in Newport News, "everyone left the theater and asked the bartender, 'What's a mojito?' "
The answer: It's a rum drink that originated in Cuba, which is what made it a natural for the "Miami Vice" movie. The film hasn't opened yet, but already Bacardi's marketing ploy has started working.
"The mojito is definitely the 'it' drink this summer," says Mark Flores, who mixes them behind the bar at The Blue Cactus in Newport News. "It's very cool and refreshing, and I've noticed an extreme amount of people ordering it."
It's why local bars are stocking up on fresh mint, whether they grow their own or import it. If you're not a professional bartender, you have the same option - grow some mint in the backyard, or buy it at a grocery store or health food store.
The basic mojito uses the mint leaves and lime juice to give a cool edge to the rum. It's generally topped off with club soda, though everyone who makes them has his own twist.
At a customer's suggestion, Overby has created a mojito that uses champagne in place of the club soda.
She's tentatively calling it the Mo'Pagne.
She also has different types of mint that she can use - chocolate, spearmint, peppermint and orange - to provide several distinct types of mojito.
"Once you start to like this drink," Overby says, "there's all sorts of different ways to experiment with it. There are as many different ways to make mojitos are as there are people who like to drink them."
Copyright (c) 2006, Daily Press, Newport News, Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.