Mango Mojito

The Cinnamon Club

30 Great Smith Street
London

SW1P 3BU

I had always assumed a mojito required soda water, and plenty of recipes confirm this. With the mango version here, however, I was given a choice - soda water or simply a mountain of crushed ice. Being a dedicated experimentalist, I opted for the ice mountain, and my first sips, tasted before the ice began to melt and dilute the rum, were intense as well as intensely cold. Mango puree was used in addition to the usual fresh lime and mint leaves (not sure about the sugar), which gave it a nice sweet/sour taste as well as a thicker texture than the usual, more watery affair. The rum was Bacardi, an unsporting choice given that company's efforts to expand the US trade embargo against Cuba - birthplace of the mojito, let's not forget - and other un-Cuban activities. Politics aside, I may need to procure a mallet so I can start crushing my own ice.