Big-time mixology: Cuban restaurant in Niagara Falls to make world’s largest mojito

The world record is held by a bar and bistro in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, which made a 3,519-litre mojito in April 2016.

The local restaurant’s world record attempt is slated for Sept. 7, directly outside the establishment owned by Marija Faife and her husband, Daelys.

The free-to-attend celebration will begin at noon and continue until 5 p.m. It will feature live music, performances and dance tutorials. Food and beverages, including traditional Cuban and Latin American delicacies, mojitos and beer, will be available for purchase.

Proceeds from the sale of mojitos — restricted to ages 19-plus — will benefit Niagara Children’s Centre.

Marija said creating a 4,500-litre glass takes “a lot of commitment, planning and cost.”

“According to Guinness, we have to have specific ingredients. The classic mojito contains white rum, sugar, lime, soda water, mint and ice, so those are the six ingredients that we need to have for our drink,” she said.

“We have to have the glass designed by an engineer with the blueprints, with the measurements and then we have the glass custom-built and it is 10 feet tall.”

Marija said an official judge from Guinness will attend to ensure the restaurant meets all the criteria.

“We have to meet many factors and guidelines, so we are in touch with the judge and we’re sharing our information — glass, information from engineers, quality assurance. It is quite an endeavour.”

Havana Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge, also known as Havana Niagara, opened in May 2023 and has become popular with locals and visitors looking for authentic Cuban cuisine, tropical libations and live entertainment, said Marija.

“We love being on Queen Street. We see that there’s so much potential on the street and we love to support other businesses. We want others to see how great Queen Street can be, so we’re hoping that this event will attract attention to the downtown core as well.”

She said the restaurant has received “very good feedback” since opening.

“People like our restaurant, they like the vibe, they like the culture. A lot of the feedback that we receive is ‘this is what Queen Street needed,’ so we’re really trying to make everybody proud. We want to be there for a long time. We want to do great things that will make people want to keep coming back to visit.”

She said the restaurant and cocktail lounge is also known as an entertainment venue, frequently hosting various live performances from Cuban and Latin American bands and dancers during dinner service.

“We just want to elevate that even more for the special event. We’re going to have a couple different live bands, we’re going to have dancers, we’re going to have a dance class for our guests. We want it to be almost like a block party,” she said.

“What we would normally do inside of a restaurant, we’re trying to amplify it and bring it to the block. The glass is very large, so we’re going to bring it right in front of the restaurant. The block is going to be shut down for that period of time and we’re hoping to bring attention to not just our restaurant, but Queen Street as a whole.”

Marija said her husband is Cuban and previously owned Mojito House bar and restaurant at Thorold Stone and Montrose roads, which he sold at the end of 2015.

“He took a little bit of a break, worked in different places and then he really was itching to get back into the restaurant business, and this location was the perfect venue for his vision.”

Marija said the restaurant’s clientele is mixed.

“We have locals that love to travel to Cuba or have friends in Cuba. We have individuals who like the music or the Cuban culture, maybe haven’t even visited, but they like what they’ve heard through music and seen through documentaries. Then we have a lot of Cuban Americans that are almost nostalgic of their culture, the food, so they are thrilled when they find our restaurant,” she said.

“We always get the question: ‘Is this authentic Cuban food?’ And after they try it, they say ‘This is hands down the best Cuban food’ they’ve had. That is what makes us most proud, is that people can live the Cuban culture through the cuisine, the cocktails, the music.”

Marija said the idea of setting a world record came about after the restaurant made the largest mojito glass in Canada, which was 40 litres.

“We made it in October of 2023 and then we made it again to celebrate New Year’s Eve,” she said.

“Even with a packed house that we had that evening, we had more than enough to share with that amount of people, so it will be very interesting to see how we’re able to share this much mojito with participants.”

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and reusable cups.

Free parking is available throughout downtown, including street parking and two municipal lots.