If you had the foresight to plant mint along with your other summer herbs, now’s the time to reap the reward and enjoy a cool and refreshing classic Mojito!
Can you tell I’m feeling a little bit proud of myself and my summer garden? Just a little bit. My mint plant is absolutely exploding right now and it’s been fantastic. I’ve been able to experiment with a lot of new recipes, or just chop up some mint over fresh fruit for a refreshing treat, or watch my son just go over to the plant and stick a leaf in his mouth to chew on, which is his favorite thing lately.
I also had a lot of great suggestions from friends on Facebook on what we should make with our gigantic plant, from Thai food to spring rolls to dessert garnish to smoothies to mint tea and infused honey. I can’t wait to try out some of these ideas!
But Scott had one simple request, and that’s for his absolute favorite summer cocktail – Mojitos.
White rum, lime juice, club soda, ice, a little bit of sugar, and plenty of fresh mint leaves, and you’ve got yourself an absolutely delicious and refreshing happy hour treat!
The Mojito was originally created in Havana, Cuba, although there are a lot of different stories about how specifically it came about! Some say it grew from a traditional remedy for tropical illnesses, others say it was created by the slaves who worked the cane sugar fields. And there are a lot of stories around author Ernest Hemingway and his taste for Mojitos, and a lot of variations on how the authentic version was made.
This is the version you’re most likely to find on your bar or restaurant menu, though, and it’s a great one to have in your home bar repertoire, especially when you’re entertaining on hot summer days, which I hope and pray we will be doing again, once the world figures out how to get a handle on this pandemic – and by world, I mean the U.S. because – okay, let’s not unpack that when we’re trying to enjoy a happy hour. Let’s just hope we can safely share drinks with friends again soon!
In the meantime, this is an easy to make drink as long as you keep a couple of things in mind.
- When you muddle the mint, you just want to crush the leaves so the juice and flavor seep out, not to shred them completely
- Serve your Mojito in a tall collins glass – there are way too many ingredients and garnishes and other things needed for this drink to shove it in a rocks glass
- There is a plant specifically called Mojito Mint used in this recipe, but you can use just about any mint – they have different flavors, but you can adjust the sugar and lime to balance
- If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you can stir everything up in a large glass
And if you want to change it up, here are some ideas.
- Make it fruity by mixing in some strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, or peaches
- Get a really refreshing infusion with some basil and cucumber
- Make a delicious Southern version with some sweet tea ice cubes
- If you don’t have rum, there are lots of recipes out there for delicious gin mojitos
This may look like a lot of drink, but remember, the point of a Mojito isn’t to be served strong {as bartenders often try to do when serving it in a rocks glass}. It’s a summertime cooler. If that glass is just rum and sugar and not a generous helping of ice and lime juice and club soda, you’re missing out on the true point of how refreshing a Mojito can be!
So here goes, let’s make some happy hour!
[lt_recipe name=”Classic Mojitos” summary=”If you had the foresight to plant mint along with your other summer herbs, now’s the time to reap the reward and enjoy a cool and refreshing classic Mojito!” servings=”1″ total_time=”3M” print=”yes” image=”https://homefrontcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Classic-Mojitos-1211-1024×683.jpg” ingredients=”2 oz white rum (4 tbsp);2 tbsp lime juice;2 tsp granulated sugar;ice;fresh mint leaves;club soda” ]Fill a highball or Collins glass with ice and set aside.;Add the rum, lime juice, sugar, and 8 or more mint leaves to a cocktail shaker. Using a cocktail muddler, press on the mint leaves to release some of their oils.;Shake to combine ingredients, or if you don’t have a shaker, stir in a glass.;Pour the mixture into the prepared glass over the ice and top off with a splash of club soda. Stir lightly to combine if desired.;Garnish with even more fresh mint.[/lt_recipe]
Cheers, and happy weekend, all!
