Let me first state that the Mojito is one of my all-time preferred cocktails. The combination of tangy, sweet and fresh makes it hard to beat. When I go on my extensive travels abroad, I often order one to test how good the bar is. If they pass the test, I will continue my patronage, if not, sayonara baby! So imagine my absolute delight when Safi James and Devon Reid of Caribbean Producers Jamaica (CPJ) called recently to invite me to participate in the judging of the inaugural Bacardi Mojito Competition, the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean.

I had the honour and the privilege to be amongst a distinguished panel of judges who also included the fabulous Jacqui Tyson, corporate caterer extraordinaire, the inimitable bon vivant and restaurateur Eva Myers of Evita’s, and prominent psychologist and rum connoisseur Dr Leahcim Semaj.

The head judge was president of the Puerto Rico Bartenders Association Jorge Lopez. Lopez explained that he has always wanted to see a Jamaican team in the many international competitions he has participated in and was excited to be partnering with CPJ to turn this into a reality. He said with Jamaica hot on the world’s lips due to our athletes and music, it was only right that we should have a dedicated team of mixologists to carry our flag abroad at future events.

Tom Tyler, co-chairman of CPJ, shared with me his wonderful vision to initiate a Jamaican bartender’s association and this competition was a platform to create the buzz and interest. The 15th anniversary of CPJ is coming up in November and they are having a series of wine dinners to commemorate this special milestone. The Bacardi Mojito competition is one of the special ways that CPJ wants to give back by exposing the talent which exists on the island and putting Jamaica on the map in the world of mixology.

The event which took place at Iberostar Resort drew the brightest and best bartenders from hotels, restaurants and bars all over Jamaica to compete for J$100,000 as well as the chance of representing the island at the Caribbean Regional Competition. Let me tell you, it was an incredible task and the results were close because of the wonderful talent before us.

Each participant should be very proud because it was a challenging all-day affair. Each bartender had to prepare two drinks: a classic mojito and a creative mojito, six of each drink in two seven-minute segments – no easy feat. Let me add that they had no idea what the creative drink would be, they had to think on the spot as just before they presented they were given 15 minutes preparation time in an area specially set up behind the scenes where they could choose their fruits and other condiments. There were 35 participants, so all in all we had 70 drinks to judge!

I know some of you are thinking those judges must have been drunk – eschew such thoughts. Like wine, we tasted, not gulped down the delicious concoctions before us. We had a number of criteria we looked out for in the preparation of each drink. We looked at technique first, such as the presentation of the bottles, hygiene and handling of the glasses.

Secondly, for the tasting we checked for appearance, aroma and taste. So as you can see, it was a very detailed exercise for quality execution.

The history of the mojito is a fascinating one. The cocktail as we know it originated in our sister island Cuba in 1862 to showcase Bacardi rum. Its predecessor was known as El Draque, named after Richard Drake who was a part of Sir Francis Drake’s expedition for Queen Elizabeth I to attack the wealthy Spanish port of Havana in the 1600s. He created it using aguardiente, a crude form of rum, molasses, lime and mint. It was mainly used for medicinal purposes. The modern way of making a mojito should incorporate Bacardi Superior Rum and soda water with the original ingredients.

The Bacardi family was originally from Spain. Don Fecundo Bacardi Masso emigrated to Cuba in 1829 where he introduced a filtering technique to make rum smoother and less stout-like and created his rum company Bacardi. He loved to mix drinks and refined the way we make cocktails. Though Cuban in origin, due to the change of regime under Fidel Castro and the prohibitive restrictions on exports and so forth, the family moved their rum operations to Puerto Rico in the 1960s. The great author Ernest Hemingway was in love with Cuba, and outside of his love for that other great rum-based Cuban cocktail, the Daiquiri, he was also a huge fan of the mojito.

After intense competition and an anxious wait after the votes were tabulated, O’Brian Jackson of Swept Away Negril won the title of “Best Mojito” champion of Jamaica. He showed professionalism while he was in distress: just before the event, he got a phone call that his daughter was ill (I hope she is much better now). If you had seen this young man in action with his calm demeanour, you would not have known, as we only learnt after the fact. He was most humble and gracious in his acceptance of the prize, and I have no doubt he will be a great diplomat for our island. Congratulations, O’Brian!

Special Mention: As I type I have just heard that one of the Iberostar properties has closed its doors temporarily. This is sad news for tourism and something I can relate to personally, growing up in the industry and facing the same problems.

Contact me at info@juicychef.com

Cheers!