A Cuban highball that turns a handful of pantry staples — white rum, lime, sugar, mint, and soda — into something bracingly cool. Mint is bruised against sweetness and citrus to perfume the glass, then lengthened with crushed ice and fizz. Havana is its documented birthplace, though its lineage reaches back to rough sugarcane-spirit remedies like the legendary "El Draque" named for Sir Francis Drake; no single inventor is recorded.
Garnish: Mint Sprig
built · Highball · Crushed
muddle
Lightly muddle the mint sprigs with the simple syrup and lime juice in the glass to release the oils without shredding the leaves.
build
Add the white rum and a splash of soda water, then fill the glass with crushed ice.
top
Top with soda water and give a light stir to lift the mint through the drink.
garnish
Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and a slice of lime.