Aaahhh ~~ Mojitos!
I didn't discover mojito's until a few years ago, and I cannot believe it took me that long to find this incredible drink. I have long been a fan of rum over all other spirits, and this tropical delight fits so well into my beverage repertoire, that it's like it was invented just for me.
My first mojito wasn't in Key West as you would expect, but rather at a friend's party in Virginia. There were regular and mango mojito's and it was love at first sight for me. I now grow my own mint and am on the quest for the perfect muddler (I prefer the wooden ones, for the record). So, sit back and relax and see what other tidbits I have picked up about Ernest Hemingway's favorite drink.
Video Instructions To Make A Mojito
Mojito
Just What Is A Mojito?
Mojito As Defined By Wikipedia
A mojito is traditionally made of five ingredients: rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime, carbonated water and mint. Its combination of sweetness and refreshing citrus and mint flavors are intended to mask the potent kick of the rum, and have made this clear cocktail a popular summer drink. Many hotels in Havana also add Angostura bitters to cut the sweetness of the mojito; while a popular variation, it is not the original version created in La Bodeguita del Medio.
(...from Wikipedia)
The Original Recipe From La Bodeguita del Medio
1 teaspoon powdered sugarJuice from 1 lime (2 ounces)
4 mint leaves
1 sprig of mint
Havana Club white Rum (2 ounces)
2 ounces club soda
Place the mint leaves into a long mojito glass (often called a "collins" glass) and squeeze the juice from a cut lime over it. You'll want about two ounces of lime juice, so it may not require all of the juice from a single lime. Add the powdered sugar, then gently smash the mint into the lime juice and sugar with a muddler (a long wooden device pictured below, though you can also use the back of a fork or spoon if one isn't available). Add ice (preferably crushed) then add the rum and stir, and top off with the club soda (you can also stir the club soda in as per your taste). Garnish with a mint sprig.
(...from Taste Of Cuba)
Tricks, Tips, & Variations
As for the rums - light rums work best for a standard mojito, they have a clear crisp flavor that is complemented by the lime and mint. There are also a number of flavored rums that are quite good in mojito's. You might really enjoy them in a flavored mojito as shown below in To Make Other Flavors:.
For the standard mojito, you can find a number of very good premade mojito mixes. I honestly would hesitate to tell you to order these over the internet simply because these bottles are heavy and your shipping costs would be high. Check out your local beverage store or supermarket. (Roses's makes a very tasty one.) These pre-made mixes are meant as a substitute for the lime and mint muddling and the simple syrup (or straight sugar). In my opinion, you cannot have a mojito without at the very least some lime wedges. Drop a wedge or two into your glass and muddle it before you add the mojito mix according to directions - you won't be sorry.
There is also some debate on whether simple syrup or sugar is better: I like them both equally well. The advantage to the sugar is when you pour it onto the lime and mint before muddling, it's natural abrasiveness adds something to the flavors. The advantage to the simple syrup is that you can make a quantity of it to have on hand and it is easy to store and measure to serve. (You can also infuse your simple syrup with a complimentary flavor or with mint if you so inclined.)
And, as for the mint: you won't believe the difference it makes to have fresh mint in your glass for this drink. In the summer months, I have two pots of it that I grow for use (mint is a very invasive plant, and if you put it into a bed, be very aware that it will spread and take over); in the winter, when I need to be reminded what summer is, I get some fresh in the herb section of the supermarket. Should you use spearmint or peppermint? I have found that both are equally good in mojitos.
Basic Bar Sets To Make Your Own
Mojito Sets
Mojito Glassware and Serveware 9-pc. Set
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List Price: $24.99
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9 Piece Mojito Set 80926
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Have You Tried A Mojito?
The Bacardi Mojito Recipe
An easy mojito cocktail recipe to liven up your evening:1.5 oz BACARDI Rum
12 fresh spearmint leaves
1/2 lime
7 oz club soda
2 tbsp. simple syrup (or 4 tsp. sugar)
For the smoothest mojitos, gently crush mint leaves and lightly squeeze lime in a cool tall glass. Pour sweet syrup on top to cover and fill glass with ice. Add Bacardi Rum, club soda, and stir well. Garnish with a lime wedge and a few sprigs of mint.
(...from BacardiMojito.com)
Bacardi's Mojito Recipe On Video
bacardi mojito
Rum Drinks & Havanas
Rum Drinks and Havanas: Cuba Classics
Amazon Price: (as of 07/12/2009)
List Price: $16.95
Used Price: $0.80
Rum Drinks & Havanas depicts the legendary Cuban bars and delicious daiquiris and mojitos that were created in them. Not only does it share the differences between various brands of rum, how rum is made, and the affects of aging, but it details recipes for over thirty traditional and inimitable drinks.
Mojito Caipi Original Song - The Muddle
The Song From The Bacardi Commercials - Long Version
Bacardi Mojito Caipi original song - The Muddle
Mango Mojito Recipe
Ingredients:15 to 20 Mint Leaves
3/4 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
3/4 oz. Simple Syrup
3 oz. Matusalem Platino Rum
1/2 oz. Mango Purée
2 1/2 oz. Club Soda
Preparation:
In a mixing glass, muddle mint leaves, lime juice and sugar vigorously. Add ice, rum, mango purée, syrup and soda, stir thoroughly and pour into a tall glass. Garnish with a mint leaf.
To Make Other Flavors:
Which Mojito Do You Prefer?
Which is better: traditional mojito, or a flavored mojito?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byTraditional is the ONLY way to go!
Jennitoluvsmojito says:
You can't beat a traditional mojito; however pomegranite mojito's hit a close second for me!
Posted June 12, 2009
jalynn says:
I have done a demonstration with Bacardi brand, so am well familiar with it. So I like my mojito made with Bacardi in it.
Thanks for the wonderful lens.
Posted May 11, 2009
Bramblerose says:
I like them all...but traditional is best. I saw a TV segment the other day where they were trying to make mojitos with beer instead of rum.
Posted April 25, 2009
TopStyleTravel says:
Nothing better than sipping a mojito while on a tropical vacation.
Posted March 11, 2009
I love the flavors best (tell us your favorite flavor).
Drum-And-Drummer says:
2 flavors beat a traditional mojito. No cloudiness with these because they are made exactly the same as a traditional, but with a few key substitutions... 1. Sapphire Mojito made with Bombay Sapphire GIN instead of rum (it's SOOO good!) and 2. Southern Orange Mojito, subbing Bacardi O for reg. Bacardi and orange wedges for lime. Try 'em... I KNOW you'll agree!
Posted May 31, 2009
esther says:
BALSERO MOJITO I TRIED IT IN A RESTAURANT AND IS THE MOST AWESOME I EVER TRIED
Posted January 17, 2009
susanelainegalloway says:
I like both flavours hard to decide which one.
Posted August 22, 2008
You Really Do Need A Muddler
Mojito Guest Book
Thanks for visiting my Mojito page. I hope you've enjoyed what I have here and maybe learned a few new tricks. Please let me know your thoughts and opinions, or if you have any questions, leave them for me here.
But, please, leave no links, they won't be activated.
wayfarer wrote...
What a fun lens! I tried my first one mojito last year. Very refreshing on a hot summer day!
Posted June 24, 2009
mbgphoto wrote...
Fun lens...this is my husband and my favorite drink this summer :)
Posted June 19, 2009
Drum-And-Drummer wrote...
Amazing lens idea! Mojitos are hands-down the best summertime drinks on the planet! In addition to being a musician, I've also spent most of my adult life as a bartender. The GREATEST mojitos (as I stated above) are the Southern Orange (Bacardi O & orange wedges instead of lime) and a Sapphire Mojito, using Bombay Sapphire gin instead of rum. 5 stars! Thanks for the fun read.
Posted May 31, 2009
Alex_Mayor wrote...
Really cool Lens, i like the video and the pictures. Lets me think about sun beaches woman.............holidays (dreaming on)
Greetz, Alex
Posted May 31, 2009
A Cool Way To Mix Authors & Alcohol
Hemingway & Bailey's Bartending Guide to Great American Writers
Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 07/12/2009)
List Price: $15.95
In this entertaining homage to the golden age of the cocktail, illustrator Edward Hemingway and writer Mark Bailey present the best (and thirstiest) American writers, their favorite cocktails, true stories of their saucy escapades, and intoxicating excerpts from their literary works. It's the perfect blend of classic cocktail recipes, literary history, and tales of the good old days of extravagant Martini lunches and delicious excess.
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Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 - July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. He was part of the 1920s expatriate community in Paris, as well as the veterans of World War One later known as "the Lost Generation", as described in his posthumous memoir A Moveable Feast. ("'That's what you are. That's what you all are,' Miss Stein said. 'All of you young people who served in the war. You are a lost generation.'" Stein had overheard a garage owner use the phrase to criticize a mechanic.) He received the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 for The Old Man and the Sea, and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.(...from Wikipedia)
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