Mojito. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.
I love the clean and pure daiquiri, nothing more than a rum sour. I love a mint julep for its power and herbal freshness. But one thing I don't like is large fragments of leaves floating in my drink and ever threatening to catch on my front tooth mid-conversation.
I felt like a daiquiri last weekend and made some hastily. I wanted to perfect it. To get more depth from the sugar, I made a simple syrup of brown sugar (equal parts water and brown sugar, heated to dissolve the sugar, then cooled). I pulverized the mint in a mortar, then let the rum soak with it to infuse. Then I strained the rum through a cloth. I combined it all and topped it with sparkling water.
It seemed to me the perfect mojito, and still does.
Mojito
- 2.5 ounces rum
- 20 to 30 mint leaves, ground to a paste in a mortar
- 1 ounce lime juice (juice from half a lime)
- 1 ounce brown sugar simple syrup
- Seltzer water, as needed
- Lime wedge for garnish
- Pour the rum over the mint in the mortar. Stir and let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes, then strain the rum through a cloth.
- Combine the rum, lime juice, and simple syrup in a highball glass. Fill the glass with ice, top with sparkling water, and garnish with the lime wedge.
If you liked this post, read:
- My past posts with rum include the Dark and Stormy, Man About Town, and Sour Cherry Daiquiri.
- Rum and its history from Salon magazine.
- Hemingway loved a great mojito; learn what other writers enjoyed drinking.
- Portside Distillery here in Cleveland makes various types of rums; and Cleveland Whiskey makes bourbon; small spirit companies are booming throughout the country.
© 2013 Michael Ruhlman. Photo © 2013 Donna Turner Ruhlman. All rights reserved.
I've recently been using Agave syrup instead of simple syrup in cocktails like margaritas and mojitos. We really like it. Like the idea of a brown sugar syrup too. Will have to try. Great idea.
Straining is a great idea, green teeth is the polar opposite of a tied cherry stem, with regards to romantic appeal.
Cheers, happy Friday all!
A true Cuban mojito is usually made with Yerba Buena, a trailing ground cover member of the mint family with smaller, rounded leaves. (Clinopodium douglasii) It adds a distinct flavor to the mojito that is quite pleasant. Guarapo, (sugar cane juice available at Latin markets), is usually used as well, although I think a simple syrup is fine.
If you're really hardcore you can purchase the seeds for this tropical minty ground cover from "Annie's Annuals" for next season.
http://www.anniesannuals.com/plt_lst/lists/general/lst.gen.asp?prodid=1488
¡Salúd!
I did a similar thing last weekend, when I was asked to make a large batch of mojitos for a party. I put a large buch of mint in a ziploc bag, and rolled it really well. Then I put the leaves into the pan where I was making the simple syrup, and let them steep that way for 10 minutes. After straining, I had a GREAT mint syrup that I guess you could add to anything, but that made a great batch of mojitos.
I've been making mint simple syrup for years, since I dislike the feeling of crush leaves in my mouth. It's great in iced tea, too.
Also great for mint juleps. For a garden party a couple of years ago, I made a huge batch of mint simple syrup and rented a snow cone machine - mint juleps for a crowd in a hurry.
I've found that the best mojito is made with Myer's platinum white rum. It's good cheap stuff.
In keeping it clean, just in case the Baron von Schmaltz is reading this. Im being good, but can I drop the C in scmaltz if it's silent? C'mon, you trying to make me cuss? Not gonna do it! But boy does that silent C make me want to. Who put that f$@#ing thing there! Godd$@m muthafu#&ing sh&@ fu"k pis& Fu"$! Fu"kun# silent C!
I'm sorry, won't forget the C, and will try not to swear.
Fu$&!, where's the bar of soap? Bleh!
I just don't share you love of pulverizing mint. The green drink tastes over-extracted and over-powering to me. The whole point of muddling is a gentle bruising, not a determined smashing. Um, excuse me, I have something in my teeth...
I am not on board with the whole pulverizing the herbs for a drink idea either. It gives the drink a dull oxidized taste as well. Gentle muddling-bruising is best. Follow it by straining properly and no one has green stuff in their teeth (hate that too) and the flavor is perfect.