favorite things (friday?): mojitos

Friday has come and gone …and well…  I think I missed a blog post.   Blame it on the sunshine.  Blame it on good friends.  Blame it on the mojito(s).

When dining al fresco becomes the norm,  most folks reach for the standard margarita.   Maybe it’s the southerner in me, but I prefer my lime muddled with mint and a little “shu-gah”.  Hola, Mojito!    I tasted my first mojito years ago at a little eatery in L.A. called Luna Park. I’ve been a fan of this cuban elixir ever since.   I’m not the only one,  it’s popularity has risen tremendously over the last decade – although it’s  actually been around for centuries.  Swashbucklers in search of golden treasures are said to have introduced it to Cuba in the 1600′s.    And in more recent history – it is said to have been the favorite drink of Ernest Hemingway.   I do not have the luxury of  traveling to La Bodequite del Medio – Hemingway’s watering hole  - to partake.     Thankfully deliciousness is being served locally on one of my favorite porches at Loca Luna. ( It appears having “Luna” in the name makes these even more scrumptious) 

The best thing about mojitos is the ease in which they can be made at home.   Many recipes abound – some with simple syrup.  Others call for shaking all the ingredients.  In my opinion,  the secret in is the muddling of the mint,  granular sugar, and lime together.  Here’s my recipe for

The Perfect Cuban Mojito

3 sprigs of fresh mint, clean and dry

3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice  = 1 lime cut into wedges

1 – 2 Tablespoon  of  superfine white granulated sugar

1 1/2 oz of light rum

chilled club soda / seltzer

ice

Using a pedstle, muddle  2 sprigs of lime with the lime  juice/ wedges and sugar.  Fill the glass with ice.  Pour rum into glass and then fill with chilled soda.  Garnish with a lime wedge & sprig of mint.   For a party, these are gorgeous served with a stalk of sugar cane in the glass.  Sugar cane stalks can often be special ordered through your grocer.

Perfect for an afternoon with friends.   Easy to make.  Even easier to order.  It may only be Monday – but you can still get lost with a mojito.

Cocktails on a Monday?  Do tell!  Just blame it on the swashbucklers.  Blame it on Hemingway.  Blame it on the luna /  (moon) .

Cheers, Y’all