Features
THE MOJITO CHALLENGE: MAMBO VS SAVANNAH
- Ibiza
- Features
Out in Ibiza, it's vital to kick start your night out with the right drink. No one want's to be clapping in the sunset with a warm bottle of backwash, so we thought it necessary to road test the true Ibiza sunset warm up drink: Mojitos.
First up, we test drive the Mojitos being served up at two of the islands chicest bars, Café Mambo and Savannah. The two Sunset barrooms are sited no more than 200 metres apart, but how do their Mojitos compare it terms of price, pitch and taste?
Bar: Mambo
Location: Sunset Strip, San Antonio
Mojito Price: €12
Who was DJing: Alex Wolfenden
Rum: Bacardi White
Sugar: 2/3 white, 1/3 brown
Mint: 5/6 leaves per glass
Fruit addition: 4 lime chunks per glass
Mixer: Soda
Cocktail Creator: Alexandra
Experience: “I learnt to make Mojitos here at Mambo, three years ago.”
If Mojitos didn’t exist: “Try our Strawberry Capirinas.”
Find me: “Watching Ricardo Villalobos at Cocoon; and I saw Loco Dice last season and want to see him again.”
Moji-tip: Alexandra wore blue plastic gloves to make her competition Mojito, which makes sense, because overexposure to acidic lime juice can eat away at your hands.
Verdict: The mojito was classically pitched and refreshingly boozy. You should expect to pay premium prices for your Mambo mojitos, but you are guaranteed a premium drink in return.
Bar: Savannah
Location: Sunset Strip, San Antonio
Mojito Price: €8
Who was DJing: James Reid
Rum: Havana Special
Sugar: Brown
Mint: Several sprigs
Fruit addition: Lime chunks
Mixer: Just a dash of soda
Cocktail Creator: Afy
Experience: “I made my first Mojito at Henry’s in London. There are so many different styles of mojito and every cocktail maker has his own unique style. If a customer has a special cocktail request they should just ask at the bar; there are eight different drinks on the cocktail menu but I can make anything.”
If Mojitos didn’t exist: “Try our English Fizz, made with Cucumber, Mint, Elderflower Liqueur, Hendricks Gin and Soda. It’s the perfect cocktail to be enjoyed on the Savannah terrace!”
Find me: “Watching Luciano at Ushuaia, and at the Ibiza 1,2,3 Festival where I’m hoping Sting will perform ‘Fields of Gold’ as the sunsets.
Moji-tip: Afy uses Havana Special because “Havana 3 is too intense and Havana 7 has too much kick.”
Verdict: Both Café Mambo and Savannah are serving world class Mojitos. In terms of taste, the differential here is the rum. The white Bacardi Mojito we tasted at Café Mambo was a light, refreshing, sugary beverage, whereas the dark rum Mojito we tasted at Savannah might be best described as a classic Cuban beverage, buoyed by a feisty citrus kick. The deal breaker, perhaps, is the price difference – will you choose to save 4 euro and drink your Mojitos at Savannah, or pay the extra dosh and grab a table on the legendary Mambo terrace? Choose wisely… or suffer a Cuban Mojito Crisis on the Sunset Strip.
