Mojito

Mojito

To make it clear I don't drink, only if I want to try something that I never had before. I had try red wine, margarita, strawberry daquiri. ( I am not sure if that is how you spell it but sound good). But Mojito is by far my favorite alcohol drink I ever had. A special friend got me to drink mojito when we went to a Sushi restaurant here in Seattle. I must say, since I do not drink, mojito kick my butt.

A mojito is traditionally made of five ingredients: spearmint, rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime, and carbonated water. Its combination of sweetness and refreshing citrus and spearmint flavors are intended to mask the potent kick of the rum, and have made this clear cocktail a popular summer drink.

Ingredients:
Fresh mint (if you're going to be making them for a lot of people, get a lot of mint. This is the foundation for the mojito)
Limes (one for each drink)
Clear rum (Havana Club 3 yr is the Cuban rum of choice for the drink, but if you cannot get it then Bacardi Superior Light, Captain Morgan's Silver Edition or Oronoco are good substitutes, a golden rum such as Mount Gay or Flor de Cana is a great way to serve as top shelf. Cubans are also very much fond of using Matusalem for mojitos.) Club Soda. Pure granulated sugar, simple syrup (sugar/water mixture - see below), or guarapo (sugar cane juice), you can use mascabado sugar too, but it'll turn the drink a bit darker, thus affecting the presentation.


Start by making some simple syrup. To do this, put equal parts sugar and water into a pot and cook it on high (stirring the whole time) until it dissolves together(you do not want it boiling!). You can also use granulated sugar but just make sure that it is well dissolved before serving. There is nothing worse than a crunchy mojito! Alternatively, forego the simple syrup and use guarapo (sugar cane juice) instead for a more natural and less sweet flavor. Make sure you have a good muddler, a sturdy glass and a shaking tin for muddling and mixing the drink. The cocktail's success depends on the blending of the lime and mint flavors.Purchase a good light rum. You will also need fresh limes, mint, soda water and sugar. Brown sugar or simple syrup can be substituted for refined sugar. Cut the limes into quarters and pick the mint leaves off of the stems. For eight mojitos you will need a generous bowl of mint and eight limes-one per drink. Muddle a generous pinch of mint and about three lime wedges in the bottom of a tall mojito glass, cocktail shaker, or a mixing receptacle. If using granulated sugar, also muddle the sugar with the mint and lime to extract the lime's essential oils. When the ingredients are well pulverized, add ice to fill the glass.

Add 2 Tablespoons of your simple syrup-this is equivalent to 1 oz. Fill the glass with about 2 ounces of rum-with the ice, the glass should appear about 3/4 of the way full.Shake or stir the mixture until fully blended. Fill the remainder of the pint glass with soda water. Another option is to transfer the shaken cocktail to another glass to serve since the muddled lime and mint often stick in the bottom of the glass. Garnish with a lime wedge, a mint sprig, a sugar cane swizzle stick, or all three