“It’s Friday!”. These are my two favorite words to hear each week. I always look forward to my 5 o’clock cocktail on Friday after work whether it’s a cold glass of sangria, a new craft beer, or my summer favorite…a classic mint Mojito! This classic Cuban drink is all the rage these days and there are so many different flavor combinations being created; I have even heard of Mojito Cupcakes (I think I will have to try and make these soon)! I have tried Pineapple and Jalapeno Mojitos as well as “dirty” ones made with spiced rum and brown sugar, but my favorite still remains the classic – mint – lime – and rum combination. Simple and refreshing.
I don’t remember the first time I had a mojito, but they have always been a favorite of mine. One time my sister and I went to Cabo San Lucas for a girls trip and we stayed at an all-inclusive resort (free drinks all day!), but we assumed that meant crappy rum and cokes and vodka sodas since we had never stayed at an all-inclusive resort before. After two days of drinking these dull drinks, we saw some people ordering Mojitos and it dawned on us we could order them too! So needless to say, our trip got much better after that. They used a blender to make the drinks and crush up the mint, which was a fast method, but completely destroyed the mint leaves and left little green pieces in your teeth – lovely. It’s best to just bruise the mint leaves to let out their fragrant flavor, rather than chopping them to bits; I did this by using the end of a wooden spoon because I did not have a muddler and it worked perfectly.
After making the simple syrup, it takes less than a minute to mix the rest of the ingredients together, so you can easily make one individual drink on a weeknight or stir up a batch for a big gathering on the weekend. This classic Cuban drink is intended to be served in a highball or Collins glass (tall and skinny), but of course any glass will do, as the taste will be sure to quench your thirst no matter what. The sweetness of the simple sugar perfectly offsets the bright citrus and kick of the rum; which makes it an easy drinking cocktail. Don’t forget, July 11th is National Mojito Day so you have plenty of time to practice this classic recipe to celebrate! Cheers!
- 2 ounces light rum (Bacardi or Cruzan)
- 10 mint leaves
- 1 ounce lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
- 1 ounce simple syrup (sugar & water)
- splash of club soda (low sodium)
- ice
- Prepare simple syrup. Combine equal parts sugar and water in small saucepan and bring to boil. Whisk until sugar dissolves and liquid is clear, then cool and store in fridge.
- Add mint leaves, lime juice, and simple syrup to tall glass. Crush/muddle mint leaves in bottom of glass with muddler or bottom of a wooden spoon until leaves are bruised.
- Add ice and rum to glass and stir, then top with club soda.
- Garnish with lime wedges.
- One shot equals 1 1/2 ounces
