Rise of the Fauxjito?

The Miami Herald goes a bit postmodern today with an article that's both a celebration of the mojito's coming of age as well as its obituary.

The paper reports that the mojito – no surprise – is this summer's "it drink." Again. Or still. Whatever. (From a posting on Gawker: "While a big fan of the Mojito, I must agree that its day has come and gone." That was in the summer of 2003.)

The Herald reports that mojitos, which first surfaced in Miami about a decade ago, have finally crossed the Strip Mall Rubicon to become part of mass market chain-restaurant culture. TGIFriday's finally gave in and added mojitos to its menu this month. Bacardi has gone heavy on mojito advertising. (Goodbye, Mr. Bacardi and Coke.) Even the Shorty Pants Lounge in Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., has gone from selling about five to 100 in a busy weekend.

While I love mojitos, I don't see this as an unalloyed good thing – ubiquitous pre-mixes can't far behind. Then perhaps little faux mint leaves manufactured of some scented polymer in China. Bartenders tend to dislike the labor and dishwashers the wilted mint, which could drive the transition to the Fauxjito. The Herald notes some handwriting on the wall:

''Not a lot of consumers are going to make the effort and take the time to make an authentic mojito,'' said Paul Nardone, chief executive of Stirrings, a Massachusetts company that makes the mojito mix for Williams-Sonoma, Delta and its own label. "It's a very intimidating drink. We solve the problem for a lot of people.'

First of all, an intimidating drink? The problem? I guess hearing the little mint leaves scream for mercy during the muddling gives some folks pause.

The article also pronounces the mojito dead – well, at least among the cocktail-fashion-forward – that is, people I'm guessing you won't find at the Shorty Pants Lounge:

''The mojito is already passé with the in crowd and that's not a good sign,'' said Tom Pirko of Bevmark, an industry consultant. "It's becoming better known, but that doesn't mean that it's going to have lasting power. This is not the next margarita. What we're talking about is a fashion drink, not something that changes the industry.'

He's wrong there. I'd wager that the mojito has every bit the staying power of the margarita. (Dale DeGroff claims that it's already number three in popularity, after the margarita and cosmo.) The mojito, after all, is as every bit a true classic as the mint julep. All this declaiming by the media of it as "it drink" is just the long, slow process of it becoming a classic.

One can only wish the process was slightly less annoying.