When our 7-Day Holiday Cruise on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam made a port call in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Christmas day, we spent a few hours exploring the walled historic city of Old San Juan.
We were warned that not many businesses would be open, despite three cruise ships in port, due to the holiday.
It was quite warm as we walked over the blue cobblestone streets.
Ready for a cold drink, we found ourselves by the historic El Convento Hotel, originally built more than 300 years ago as a Carmelite Convent.
Today it is a luxurious boutique hotel with an open courtyard inside with two restaurants.
We recognized the hotel from two prior visits with Paulina of Spoon Food Tours, and decided to head inside to the El Picoteo restaurant that features Spanish tapas and unbelievably delicious desserts.
Unfortunately, El Picoteo was closed, and our hopes of Tres Leches cake and an iced coffee con leche were dashed.
The open-air Patio del Nispero restaurant, however, was open. We were drawn to the bar where the bartender was busy mixing drinks with plentiful amounts of fresh mint and citrus.
Mojitos, we learned, were the drink of choice. Generally, they can be too sweet for our taste, but since they were the popular, we decided to try one.
Traditionally, a mojito consists of five ingredients: rum, sugar or sugar cane juice, lime juice, sparkling water, and mint.
Bartender Luis Flores makes his mojitos slightly differently with fresh lemon and lime wedges muddled with multiple leaves of fresh mint. His “special” ingredient is brown sugar.
The result is light and refreshing.
For the second round, Luis demonstrated how he makes mojitos step by step.
Plus, he hand wrote the recipe and handed it to us with a “Merry Christmas!”
If you are in Old San Juan, stop in the El Covento and seek out Luis for one of his fantastic mojitos, and friendly service.
What’s your favorite place for mojitos? Please share in comments below.
Check out these other posts from San Juan…..
- Outrageously Delicious Italian Food in San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Dinner at Jam in San Juan, Puerto Rico
- A Peek Inside the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino
- Eating and Drinking Our Way Through San Juan, Puerto Rico with Spoon Food Tours – Part 1
- Eating and Drinking Our Way Through San Juan, Puerto Rico with Spoon Food Tours – Part 2
- Eating and Drinking Our Way Through San Juan, Puerto Rico with Spoon Food Tours – Part 3
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