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The Original Cuban Mojito
Servings: Makes 6 servings
Comments:
A Mojito is a refreshing cooler made with lime juice, fresh mint, sugar, club soda and plenty of rum.
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: spearmint, rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime, and carbonated water or club soda. 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.
Its popularity is evidenced by its prominent role in recent Bacardi advertisements. After the daiquiri (another rum-based cocktail), the mojito was the second favorite drink of the writer Ernest Hemingway.
Source: Wikipedia.com
Ingredients:
3 cups (packed) fresh mint leaves
9 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups light (clear) rum
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
6 cups club soda
6 cups crushed ice
6 lime wedges
Instructions:
Reserve 6 mint leaves for garnish. Place remaining mint leaves in medium bowl. Add sugar. Mash with wooden spoon until mint is aromatic and oils are released. Add rum and lime juice and stir until sugar dissolves. Strain mixture into pitcher. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead; refrigerate.)
Add club soda to pitcher; gently stir. Fill 6 beverage glasses with 1 cup crushed ice. Pour mojito over crushed ice and garnish each glass with 1 mint leaf and 1 lime wedge.
Makes 6 servings.
Source: Bon Appétit, January 2001
Date: September 9, 2006