I love cocktails. No, I am not an alcoholic. I just love mixing different things together to create something delicious, unexpected, and potent. Making a great cocktail is hard, because it takes forever to get it right and keep getting it right. The cocktail is a work of art. It's not just about the alcohol or its effects: it's about the presentation, the mental and physical stimulation, the taste, the aura, the pure excitement of having a cocktail.
One of my favorite cocktails is deceptively simple on paper, but, after some practice, becomes a standard in your cocktail repertoire. The Mojito is a summer classic, perfect for the hot Havana...I mean, New York city nights when you need something to cool you down. A good mojito does not taste of alcohol, but refreshes with a crisp combination of lime and mint with a splash of sparkling base.
My mojito recipe combines several different ones and makes, at least what I consider, a damn good drink.
First, you will need to chill your glasses. You may ask why, or silently decide that it's ok not to chill your glasses because "it will turn out the same anyway." Wrong, my doubting friend. Go put your glasses in the freezer and read the rest of this once you have done so.
Ingredients:
1 lime
Mint sprigs
Sprite Zero or Champagne
1 oz. Rose's Lime juice (the original lime juice that was in the first mojito in Havana)
2 oz. Light rum (white Bacardi works well)
¾ oz. Simple syrup (see how to make simple syrup below)
Crush the mint sprigs at the bottom of a chilled highball glass. Make sure that you crush them enough to release their minty goodness. Fill the glass with crushed ice cubes, so as to trap the leaves at the bottom. Add the simple syrup, lime juice, and rum and stir. Top off your glass with Sprite Zero or Champagne.
Simple Syrup
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
Stir together in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and wait until sugar is completely dissolved. Chill.
Image credit: bevcooks.com
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