The Taste of Summer in a Glass
Classic Mojito
If you've never had the pleasure of a mojito, you're in for a treat. This classic Cuban cocktail combines light rum with fresh lime and lemon juices and mint for a refreshing and delicious drink. I especially enjoy mojitos on a warm day, and think they set the perfect tone for a barbecue.
Serves: 1
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Suggested Tools:
· Cutting board
· Serrated knife
· Stir spoon, preferably long ice tea spoon
· Measuring cups
· Measuring spoons
· Muddler (or use the back of a wooden spoon)
· Small pot (for homemade simple syrup)
· Wooden spoon
· 12-ounce cocktail glass
Ingredients:
· 1 ½ ounce (using jigger) white rum of your choice
[One of my favorite rums is Bacardi]
· 1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoon Sweet & Sour mix
· 1/8 cup Club Soda
· 1/8 cup plus 2 tablespoons Simple Syrup (either store-bought premade or homemade – recipe is shown below)
· 1 Fresh lemon, seeds removed and cut into half inch cubes
· 1 Fresh lime, cut into half inch cubes
· Mint leaves – a large sprig or two small sprigs/4-6 leaves
Instructions:
1. To a 12-ounce glass, add 3-4 ½ inch chunks each of the lime and lemon and using the muddler, smoosh the lime and lemon chunks to squeeze the juices out of them.
2. Add the mint leaves and smoosh again with the muddler. This will infuse the mint flavor into the citrus flavors. The number of mint leaves really depends on the size of the leaves. You may even need tear the leaves if they are very large.
3. Fill the glass preferably with crushed or regular ice.
4. Add the rum, club soda, sweet and sour and simple syrup over the ice and stir to mix well.
5. Garnish with top portion of mint stem and a slice of lime.
Skoal!
Simple Syrup –
Ingredients:
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
Instructions:
Recommend making this ahead of time, even the night before you intend to use it.
Add the water and the sugar to a small pot and stir with a wooden spoon. Bring the water to a low boil for about one minute, or until the sugar dissolves, while stirring occasionally. Pour the water in a glass liquid measuring vessel for later use and set in the refrigerator. If I have any simple syrup left over after making the cocktail, I save the simple syrup in the refrigerator and add it to my regular or ice teas.
The Crooked Ladle
Savor the taste