Mojito!

In the post above, Jo referenced the mojito, that refreshing summer beverage. So that you to can enjoy a bit of our cruise at home, I include here our very own mojito recipe. Try it soon, you’ll LOVE it.

First, the ingredients, it’s all in the ingredients. FRESH mint. No substitutes here. Get it at the grocery store or better yet grow it at home. It is a nice part of the process to go out in the yard to cut just enough mint for a mojito. We have it growing at home in Portland. One lime. They don’t grow in Portland so just pick it up at the store. Simple syrup. Yup, it is really simple. Three cups of water, boil, then slowly stir in three cups of sugar. It will turn a light goldish color. Set aside and cool. I usually don’t wait for it to cool if I’m making up a first batch for mojitos but use your best judgment. You don’t need all the syrup for a drink, so save it in a mason jar. A recycled pasta sauce jar works great for this. Just keep it in the fridge for later mojitos. White rum, I use Bacardi. Ice cubes. One martini shaker or similar device.

Second, the mixology. Take about 8-10 mint leaves and tear them to small pieces and put them in the bottom of the martini shaker. Then put in one ice cube. Next muddle the mint at the bottom of the shaker. You can use a muddler or just the end of a wooden spoon will work fine. Muddle away. You want to release the essence of the mint. Next the lime. Before cutting the lime roll it vigorously on the kitchen counter with the palm of your hand. You want to loosen the meat of the lime so it will juice really well. You can smell the lime at this point. Once this is done cut the lime in half like a grapefruit. Squeeze the juice of this half lime into the shaker. Then pour in one ounce of simple syrup and two-and-a-half ounces of rum. Place ice cubes in the shaker so that they fill it about half way. There is a bit of estimation needed here. Your going to shake the contents and then pour it into a highball glass or something similar. So you want to ideally have enough liquid and ice to just fill the glass to the top. Once all the ingredients are in the shaker, cap it off and shake well. If it is a metal shaker it should frost a bit. Then pour all the contents into a glass. Don’t strain it because you want the mint leaves in the drink. Place a small piece of lime in the glass and enjoy!!! Experiment with the mix, depending on how your syrup came out and how juicy your lime is you may want to tinker with the recipe. You’re going for refreshing. Not to strong or sweet or limey...just right. You might have to have a second one or three to get it down perfect. Have fun with it!

This is a shot of the mojito process. Don't be put off by the picture. I make it look a lot harder than it really is.