By Chuck Martin
The Cincinnati Enquirer

If you're looking to drink something green besides fizzy beer on St. Patrick's Day, and - even better - a beverage that makes you think of warm tropical breezes, meet the mojito. A simple blend of light rum, lime and fresh mint, the frosty mojito (mo-HEE-toe) supposedly was created in Havana and is popular in East Coast and Miami bars.

On a recent CSI: Miami episode, investigators pulled whole mint leaves from the stomachs of murder victims and knew - just knew - they had been downing mojitos. (The victims died from gunshot, not choking from mint.)

In his Bar & Cocktail Companion (Running Press; $19.95), Michael Jackson (a writer, not the pop musician) dismisses the mojito as a "rum collins with mint sprigs." But the formula can vary - some recipes call for sugar, others call for simple syrup. Most call for lime, except for Jackson's, which is made with lemon.

At the Bamboo Club at Newport on the Levee, where mojito demand is growing, says assistant general manager Stacy Stephenson, the drink is made with mint, sugar, light rum and Rose's Lime Juice. It's topped with Sprite instead of club soda.

If you're making mojitos at home, proper muddling of the fresh mint is important. Crush and stir the mint with the sugar (think mint juleps) to extract the flavorful oils. Add the other ingredients, sip and dream of blue skies and warm weather.

Don't eat the mint leaves. That's just television.

Mojito

1/2 to 1 teaspoon powdered or granulated sugar

1/2 lime, freshly squeezed

4 mint leaves, plus sprig for garnish

2 ounces white rum

1 ounce club soda

Put sugar in glass and squeeze in lime juice; stir to dissolve. Add mint and crush against side of glass. Add lime rind. Fill glass with crushed ice and add rum. Top with club soda and garnish with 1 mint sprig. Makes 1 drink.

Caribbean Cocktails (Ten Speed; $15.95)