Merry Mojitos and Happy Hour

My mum bought me the biography Hemingway's Boat by Paul Hendrickson for Christmas and it was a joy because I love everything about the man: His life, his fiction and (most of all), his journalism. Favourite book? Let's just say it involves an old man and a Marlin. That is one fish I have yet to land (amongst the many others, it has to be said). I once had a Sailfish on the end of my line very briefly. Does that count? You will have to forgive me all the un-PC bits about his sexism, bull fighting and 'cojones' machismo, but my new book is the dog's unprintables.

I have never been to his spiritual home of Cuba, but it would be the first place on my list if the Lottery came good. The recent Simon Reeve documentary on BBC, and films like The Bueno Vista Social Club and Chico and Rita have reinforced that for me. The nearest I can get to it in the meantime, is via some Mojitos Highballs.

We were meant to mix these on Christmas Eve but the logistics of cooking got in the way. Tonight was the night, although technically the sun had not yet passed the yardarm. Saying that, years ago J came home from school with her friend Maddy to do some joint homework, and found me and MrsB mixing some at 4 in the afternoon. Oops. Let's just say, we have 'previous'.

Postscript: Hemingway made the Cuban bar 'La Bodeguita del Medio' famous for it's Mojitos, and wrote "My mojito in La Bodeguita, My daiquiri in El Floridita" on the bar wall in his handwriting. It seems it is still visible there today.