What's with the whiteness of mojitos?

[dr_kromm]

As I was mixing mojitos tonight, I realized that mine were mutant mojitos. The traditional recipe involves muddling mint leaves, lime juice, and white sugar, and then adding ice, white rum, and soda water. And that's a good drink. But I've always used partially refined sugar, which is golden (and not the same as brown sugar), and dark rum. At the usual dilution of the finished drink, the brownish ingredients emphasize the green of the mint, and the net effect is a greenish drink, which looks quite smart. Moreover, the richer flavor of the darker sugar and rum can't be beat -- obviously, in my freakish opinion, since nobody else seems to do this. Or do they?

Of course, it's possible that some bizarre chrono-Lamarckian effect has rendered me partial to the molasses-laden sugar and rum that were shipped through Halifax, Nova Scotia (my home town) back in the 18th century.