Mojito @ Cuba Libre
I felt like a fraud until I had my first mojito. I liked beer, wine was nice once in a while, and gin and tonics were just…swell. But nothing really moved me until that first Mojito. Wham! That’s it! That’s a drink.
Cuba Libre has built a massive corporate empire, and an iconic spot on Philly’s temperamental club scene for nearly 20 years on essentially two drinks: the Mojito and the Caipirinha.
Yeah, they’re that good.
Of the two, I like the Mojito better. Made with the (cheap) house light rum. The ingredients themselves are what make the Mojito shine, while the rum gives it just enough backbone and meaning.
It just may be my favorite drink. It might be the mint from Israel (which the menu cheekily refers to as “hierba buena”), the snap of crushed sugar cane downstairs, or the fresh lime juice, but it just does it for me.
There are flaws sure, the mint is a little too obliterated, making the drink just a tad grassy, but the bartenders at Cuba are not craftsmen, they are ruthless champions of batching and efficiency, seasoned club veterans supervised by managers in immaculate suits and secret service earpieces.
Why the machinery and security? Its simple, Cuba Libre is Disneyland for adults: Salsa, beautiful women, and nostalgic tropical throwbacks. And the Mojito is king. There are better drinks, but this one is the best.
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mixologywine posted this
