Lemon Mint Mojito

by Nanncian Mon Apr 29, 2013 1:04 am

Mojito is a traditional Cuban cocktail which became popular in the United States during the late 1980s, and has recently seen a resurgence in popularity. 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 spearmint 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.To make a Mojito, juice from a lime is added to sugar and mint leaves in a tall glass. The mixture is then gently mashed repeatedly with a muddler. Crushed ice is then added, followed by rum and topped off with club soda. The word mojito is derived from the diminutive of the word mojo.

Ingredients

25g caster sugar
25ml water
30ml lime juice (approx 3/4 fresh lime)
35ml rum
25ml aguardiente (cachaca also works if you can't find aguardiente)
4 sprigs mint
Crushed ice
Soda water to top

Preparation:

Make a sugar syrup by melting the sugar and water together on the hob. Pour the syrup into a Collins glass and squeeze in the lime juice. Add the mint leaves. Gently press the mint leaves against the side of the glass to release the flavour of the mint but don't crush the mint as this will make the bitterness of the leaf veins seep into the cocktail. Add the rum and aguardiente and muddle everything together. Fill the glass with crushed ice them top with soda water.

Tip: Save time by making a batch of sugar syrup in advance - you can scale up the quantities, just make sure you use 50 per cent sugar and 50 per cent water.