Best Mojito

Although the Mojito cocktail is new to many of us locals, it's not new to the world at large. The first was muddled together after World War I, probably at La Bodeguita del Medio bar in Havana (home of many a Hemingway-approved tropical cocktail), and since then it has traveled north and westward to San Francisco's hipster-approved lounges, leaving its share of teetering yuppies in its wake. A Caribbean variation on the julep, in which mint, sugar, and cracked ice interact with rum and lime instead of bourbon and lemon, the original Mojito only used a few sprigs of mint in the muddling process, but as strident anti-purists we appreciate the absolute show biz of Luna Park's version, in which a bushel or two of Mentha piperita is crushed, squashed, ground, and smashed into submission by what appears to be a small baseball bat. The result is a visually verdant, marvelously minty cocktail that makes you feel summery all over.