Taste test: Burbank-based company capitalizes on popularity of the exotic Mojito cocktail among trendsetters.

The mixture of sugar, lime and mint in the expensive Italian made bottles is not simply a mix to make a mojito, the classic Cuban cocktail gaining popularity among trendsetters.

Michael Hensel, the German-born president and chief executive officer of Mojito Empire Inc., described the Burbank company's product as a solution to inconsistency in the taste of the drink and the length of time it takes to make.

Swanky nightclubs don't normally serve mojitos but Hensel is changing that with Mojito Island, a mix that spares a bartender time of muddling, or crushing with the back of a spoon, the mint leaves and sugar needed to give the drink its sweet and minty taste.

"For every mojito the bar owners are selling they are making a dollar profit more than a rum or coke or gin and tonic," Hensel said. "Mojitos are upscale and people are paying more."

The bar and restaurant owners is only one segment the mix serves. For bartenders, it is a time saver for a drink that from scratch can take several minutes to make. For consumers, they get a consistent drink every time. For liquor distributors, they can sell more rum.

Mojito Island is available at a limited number of restaurants and bars in the Los Angeles area and at one retailer in both lime and blackberry flavors. Hensel has expansion plans for the coming year that will see his product in partying hotspots like Las Vegas and Miami.

Popular Mexican restaurant Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks has been using the mix for about six months and now has customers asking for it by name, said owner Ray Vega.

"It comes out the same way every time and it always comes out fresh," Vega said. "Here we make it either with tequila or with rum. Some of our customers like tequila with it to give it a different flavor."

Outside of places such as Koi, the Roosevelt Hotel and the Standard using Mojito Island at their bars, Hensel gets his mix before the Hollywood crowd at film premieres, events for the Oscars and Emmy awards, and private parties, such as one that took place recently at the home of rocker Eddie Van Halen.

Not bad for a company that has been around for just over a year and which Hensel foresees racking up revenues in the millions in the next year to year and a half.

If sugar, mint, club soda, lime juice and rum are the ingredients of a good mojito, perseverance and good timing are the ingredients for the success of Mojito Empire.

Hensel spent six years developing a method to give a six-month shelf life to his mix, what he called the most important aspect of the product.

Peter Burra, of John and Pete's Fine Wines and Spirits in Los Angeles, called Mojito Island the freshest mix he's ever tasted and the most authentic compared to making a mojito from scratch.

Burra special orders the mix and has it delivered the next morning to maintain its freshness. He will stock Mojito Island once it becomes available in mass quantities.

Longer shell life

He likes that the mix has an extended shelf life not found in competitors, Burra said.

"What's wrong with other mixes is that there is too much sugar and too much preservative in them," Burra said. "That's why they taste funny."

Mojito Island reaches the market at a time of high commercial and media exposure of the drink. In "Die Another Day," Pierce Brosnan's James Bond downs a mojito. The remake of "The Pink Panther" and this summer's "Miami Vice," include mentions of the drink. On television, the mojito has made appearances on "Lost," "Nip/Tuck," and "Family Guy."

A mojito-flavored ice cream even landed among the five finalists in the "Do Us a Flavor" contest sponsored by Ben and Jerry's.

"It's a tropical drink and people love it during the summer," said liquor retailer Burra.

"It gives the taste of an island or traveling," Vega said of the drink.

And lest one thinks this is a repeat of how the cosmopolitan became a "chick" drink due to its popularity from "Sex and the City," the mojito has a more masculine pedigree as Ernest Hemingway pounded them back at Le Bodeguita bar in Havana.

A framed copy of Life magazine with a bearded "Papa" on the cover hangs in Hensel's office.

While Mojito Island is a non-alcoholic mix, Hensel markets the product as one would alcohol, which is why he jumps at the chance to serve drinks at celebrity-attended events.

The branding of the mix as a premium product even extends to the size and shape of the Italian-made bottle so that it's reflective of the liquid inside.

Expansion plus

The mojito mix is just the start for the company, as Hensel plans to expand into other drink mixes and flavors.

"When you go into a liquor store and you see a bottle on a shelf, that's all good," Hensel said. "But if you see four bottles in different flavors and variations it attracts the eye."

Hensel was introduced to the mojito nearly 20 years ago while working as a bartender in Hamburg, Germany. He came to the United States in 1996 and found work in a bartending school in San Diego. Prior to launching Mojito Empire in 2005, he worked for a spirits company.

Eighteen shareholders contributed to the $400,000 in capital Mojito Empire started with. When picking the shareholders, Hensel said he went with people who could provide connections and resources along with money.

The immediate future for the company is to raise an additional $2 million to get Mojito Empire to the next level and get onto the market a new mojito-based product with a broader appeal.

Hensel understands that as the company grows a firm hand on its operations is needed, which is why he will bring on a chief operating officer.

Hensel's role will continue as the drive behind the company, the guy with the passion and the ideas.

"I feel eventually I will need someone to run the operations because that is not what I want to do," Hensel said.

With more money and growth, a change in the business plan is expected that includes licensing the Mojito Island recipe to overseas manufacturers.

The ultimate goal is to then sell the company to a larger conglomerate, Hensel said.

Until then, Hensel enjoys the life that puts him in close proximity with A-list celebrities at upscale and exclusive events.

And he has the mixture of sugar, lime and mint to thank for it.

In the world of mixed drinks, the margarita has tequila, the martini has vodka, and the mojito has rum. "We are the rum companies' best friend," Hensel said.

Spotlight

Mojito Empire, Inc.

Year Founded: 2005

Employees in 2005: 1

Employees in 2006: 4 full time; 2 part time

Revenues in 2005: $10,000

Revenue in 2006: projected $200,000

Driving Force: Provide a mix that makes fresh, consistent-tasting mojitos.

BY MARK R. MADLER

Staff Reporter