The Mojito is a traditional cocktail that’s made with only five ingredients: white rum, lime juice, soda water, mint, and some type of sweetener—usually sugar. This highball was first invented in Havana, Cuba, and it’s a drink that’s been around for quite a long time. It’s a drink so beloved it received its holiday, celebrated on July 11th every year. And since a variety of different versions of this cocktail have been invented over the years, people celebrating this holiday can decide for themselves whether they want a traditional mojito, or if they want to try one of the more esoteric blends such as a cranberry mojito or a mango mojito.

The History Of The Mojito

Unfortunately, we couldn’t uncover the origin of National Mojito Day, so we decided to research the history of the drink that inspired this day. However, researching this holiday wasn’t a straightforward process either because this holiday has several different origin stories. Until the true origins of this drink are uncovered, if they ever are, we’re just going to have to list both of the origin stories and allow our readers to decide which one sounds the most likely to them.

The first origin story states that the mojito was invented sometime between 1650 and 1667. This is when various low-quality rums were first invented in Barbados. These rums went by various names that included everything from just being called rum to rumbullion and even kill-devil. These weak rums could’ve easily been made into a mojito quite easily.

Another origin story states that the mojito was invented by African slaves during the 19th century. This would make sense considering that the name “mojito” comes from the word “mojo,” a word that means a magic charm or talisman in African. Of course, the drink could’ve been invented in Barbados and then given its name at a later date.

The one origin story that we dismiss outright is that the mojito was invented during the 16th century. There seems to be a mojito origin story that says the drink was invented during the 1500s in Spain. While there could’ve been drinks made with lime juice, mint, and some kind of sweetener, it couldn’t be a mojito because rum wasn’t invented until 1650.

Celebrating National Mojito Day

Celebrating this holiday is as easy as pouring yourself a mojito or a virgin mojito. It’s also a great day to invite friends and family over, so everyone can enjoy one of these drinks. And if you’re taking the time to celebrate this cocktail holiday, then you might also want to take the time to take a picture of your mojito and post it on social media using the hashtag #NationalMojitoDay.