The famous drink attributed to an English sailor for curing disease

English sailor Francis Drake may have invented the Cuban Mojito to soothe the scurvy outbreaks that plagued his sailors. Today it is the second most popular drink in the world

The English are grateful to Sir Francis Drake for defending their territory against the Spanish invasion in 1588, but the entire world is apparently indebted to him for the creation of the Cuban Mojito cocktail. This discovery was made during an expedition to the New World in the 16th century.When the sailor wanted to deal with a health epidemic spreading among his sailors.

The most popular version – which some historians dismiss due to lack of evidence – says Drake landed on the island of Cuba during an interoceanic voyage. His ship’s crew suffered from scurvyIt was a common disease among sailors of the time, causing symptoms of fatigue and weakness after long periods at sea.

This was a drink that Drake made There will be an end to the disease of its sailors Your formula? Apparently it was a mixture of tafia (a rudimentary sugarcane liquor made before rum), lime, mint and Chuchuhuasi bark. The latter is a plant (Metanus macrocarpa) used by indigenous communities for medicinal purposes for its anti-inflammatory, analgesic and immune system-stimulating properties.

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The English Sailor’s recipe is similar to the one prepared in thousands of bars around the world today. Along with the development of Tafia – now professionally distilled white rum – lemon, white sugar, fresh mint and soda are added., Maybe the current version doesn’t cure any diseases, but it sure kills some malice.

From James Bond to Hemingway

had a mojito The second most popular cocktail in the world during 2023According to the annual Bacardi Cocktail Trends Report consumer survey published by Visual Capital. It ranks only behind the classic gin & tonic, increasing its profits in Europe, the United States and Japan. For example, in Germany, the Cuban cocktail was among the 10 most consumed drinks in that country in 2014 itself, Statista recalls.

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around american writer Ernest Hemingway (“The Old Man and the Sea,” among other works) There is also a legend. It is said that, while frequenting Cuban bars, he would have said this phrase over and over again. “My mojito at Bodeguita…my daiquiri at Floridita.”

There is no certainty that this phrase is Hemingway’s, but it is due to his love of Cuba and living there La Bodeguita del Medio, It is an emblematic bar in Havana that became famous for its mojito preparation, especially in the 1920s when Americans began traveling to the island to avoid prohibition Which banned the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the country.

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The truth is that even secret agents James Bond is a mojito loverA scene in “Die Another Day” in 2002 immortalized his love for this drink. Also actors Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, during the 2004 film “Collateral”, order this cocktail in a scene where they go to a nightclub.

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