It took time. When Christopher Columbus introduced the first sugarcane shoots to Cuba around 1494, he probably didn't imagine the delicious and intoxicating uses to which the crops would eventually be put. And what Columbus started, bars from Havana to Miami to Los Angeles have perfected. The mojito has arrived in the U.S. to a grateful audience and is taking over as one of Austin's favorite cocktails.

Originating in Cuba in the late 19th century, when slaves first sweetened their water with sugarcane and then spiked it with unrefined rum, the mojito became a popular drink early in the 20th century among the revelers at the Playa de Marianao, a working-class beach in a borough of Havana.

The Cuban cousin to the traditional American mint julep, the mojito has long been considered a classic cocktail in its native country, where decades ago Ernest Hemingway is said to have enjoyed more than one or two of the minty-fresh rum drink. Here in the U.S. the allure of the mojito has taken off, especially in Miami, where, thanks to its large Cuban population, bars have been serving up tasty mojitos for ages.

It's only in the last couple of years that the mojito has become a fashionable drink across the U.S. Trendy perhaps, but well worth trying nonetheless. As refreshing as a lemonade but with a bit of a kick, the mojito is a perfect libation to cut through a muggy Austin summer. It's now the number one selling drink at Doña Emilia's on San Jacinto. In the land of margaritas, that says a lot.