The Mojito

[sadistick]

I'm with you on that one.

Also, I believe a true Mojito contains sugar cane syrup...

This past weekend I made some mojitos for my dads b-day with key limes, turned out very nice.

[ThinkingBartender]

"true Mojito".

Where exactly do people get these "true Mojito" ideas from? Certainly not from Cuba. Same thing goes with "true caipirinha", "true martini", "true (insert cocktail name)" etc etc.

This is how they prepare Mojitos at "La Bodeguita del Medio":

* 1 teaspoon of sugar

* 1/4 oz fresh lime juice

* two mint sprigs (not a forest !)

* crush gently ,( you don't need to make a "pesto" sauce or a puree !!)

* add 1/12 oz white cuban rum

* add ice

* add two oz soda water

* stir well

* garnish with a sprig of mint

The most annoying "true mojitos" are the ones that contain brown sugar, and are then said by their makers to be "authentic", Same goes for the "true caipirinhas" that are made with brown sugar.

[sadistick]

Certainly from Cuba.

When I was in Havana the bartender had a little bottle of simple syrup with sugar cane 'honey' and water, instead of sugar. He said you didn't need to destroy the mint with the abrasive sugar, just muddle it gently with the lime wedges. As well, the sugar cane adds more of a flavour than just sugar, or so he claimed.

The rest of your recipe looks 'true' enough.

[ThinkingBartender]

I was referring to your determination of your recipe as "true mojito", not whether it actually came from Cuba.

How many other bars used your bartender's method, and what books is this method/ recipe listed in?

[Grub]

I must take issue with the way the mint is abused in a few of these posts. 

...

if you take a mint leaf, and gently bruise it with your molars, and then gnaw on a mint leaf you will see the difference.  ...  if you gently bruise the mint, then pull it up the sides of the glass, leaving a slick of mint oil, and then add simple, lime and rum, it has more mint flavor.

←

This is excellent advice. I've been guilty of mint abuse in the past; I didn't know any better.

I tried this tonight, and it made a significant difference. I'd long since figured out things like simple syrup, but not the mint bit. I crushed it up real bad -- I mean, I crushed it up brutally to get ALL the juices out, and then filtered it out so I didn't end up with a bunch of mint leaf fragments in the drink.

But rubbing a leaf against the inside of the glass makes a huge difference. Not just because of what Alchemist describes here -- it also makes a huge difference because the mint oil is RIGHT by your nose when you take a sip of the drink... Smell is a big part of your taste, and the minty oil by the lip of the glass is essentially right under your nose. Very clever.

[Ed Hamilton]

Admin: threads merged.

In a recent trade article industry consultant, Tom Pirko of Bevmark said ''The mojito is already passé with the in crowd and that's not a good sign.''

So are you part of the in crowd? And what are you drinking now that the mojito is so well known?

[eje]

I'm certainly not "in with the in crowd".

Have you seen the "Muddle" Bacardi ads on cable TV?

Apparently, Bacardi mojitos are also a featured cocktail in the upcoming Miami Vice movie.

If it isn't past its prime yet, it will soon reach market saturation.

Not sure what the kids are drinking; but, the cane spirit drinks I've been enjoying lately are, Floridita Daiquiris, Calamansi or Key Lime Caipirinhas, and a drink I make with La Favorite Rhum Agricole that is sort of half way between a Ti Punch and a Caipirinha.

Edited June 27, 2006 by eje (log)

[Nina C.]

Off topic slightly -

but I was alarmed the other night when I poked my head in a restaurant to find a sign advertising their "Mojito Mondays". That was 1/2 off of mojitos in either Strawberry, pineapple or banana flavor.

Needless to say we didn't eat there.

I consider it a clear sign that the mojito craze is crashing.

[ctgm]

Bad rums = mojito, rum punch, etc

Good rums = neat, on the rocks, dash of water etc etc

Bacardi = Coke

Edited June 28, 2006 by ctgm (log)

[scubadoo97]

I never claim to be part of the "in crowd" and started enjoying mojitos while exploring all things Cuban afew years ago. The mojito craze is in my opinion is reaching the saturation point. There will always be a place for the mojito in my drinking line up. A refreshing drink on a hot summer day. After it becomes retro again it will be in again.

[Rapping Bartender]

If i'm in a party mood it's got to be Rum,Old Jamaica ginger beer, angostura bitters & a squeeze of fresh lime. If the mood is more serious or the company more reserved then it has to be a rum old fashioned. HMMMM. But the Mojito is still a good long drink. Especially if you drink it to the original recipe. Ice cubes as opposed to crushed ice. Limes & mint slighty muddled instead being of pummled to death. White sugar and lots of soda water with a dash of bitters. Alternatively add some fresh fruit or puree to the drink to give it a fruity twist. (Passion fruit is my favourite)

[Rapping Bartender]

Bad rums = mojito, rum punch, etc

Good rums = neat, on the rocks, dash of water etc etc

Bacardi = Coke

←

If you use a better quality rum in a Mojito or Rum Punch, you will have a far better tasting cocktail. And what is the definition of a bad rum ?

[jsolomon]

Even when they were "undiscovered" by the tragically hip, I didn't like them.

Their flavor always reminded me of ambulance runs that break Rule Number 1 of Emergency Medicine.

Yuck.

[Pam R]

So are you part of the in crowd? And what are you drinking now that the mojito is so well known?

←

Who cares about being in the in crowd? I love 'em. And I'm going to keep drinking them.

[eje]

Even when they were "undiscovered" by the tragically hip, I didn't like them.

Their flavor always reminded me of ambulance runs that break Rule Number 1 of Emergency Medicine.

Yuck.

←

jsolomon,

Sorry, don't quite get this.

What is Rule Number 1 of Emergency Medicine? How does it involve mint, lime or rum?

~Erik

[jsolomon]

Rule Number 1: don't get puked on.

[Sneakeater]

The trouble with this is that the "craze" is ruining a perfectly good cocktail. When the "craze" is over, we can go back to drinking normal Mojitos like they're normal drinks.

[raxelita]

I'm a bartender, so I hate that I love mojitos (made with mid-grade gold rum, like mount gay or meyers). They're the kind of drink that is only good if you're not the one making it.

Otherwise, pyrat with a few ice cubes, or a goslings (dark) dark and stormy with reeds and extra lime.

[slkinsey]

In a recent trade article industry consultant, Tom Pirko of Bevmark said ''The mojito is already passé with the in crowd and that's not a good sign.''

So are you part of the in crowd? And what are you drinking now that the mojito is so well known?

I like Mojitos, but have to admit that I don't drink them much any more. If I want a rum and mint Summer drink, I'm much more likely to go for a Swizzle of one kind or another. As a general impression, I think they're more interesting drinks due to the use of bitters and crushed ice.

[ThinkingBartender]

Admin: threads merged.

Hi All,

I am doing some research into the Mojito and the Mojito Criollo, does anyone have any old recipes or stories or anything.

The three earliest recipes for the Mojito that I have are as follows:

"Cuban Cookery, including Cuban Drinks", by De Baralt (Blanche Z.), 1931

RUM COCKTAIL (Cuban mojo)

In medium size glass put :

* One teaspoonful sugar

* Juice and rind of a green lime

* Sprig of mint

* One jigger Bacardi Rum

* Several pieces of ice

* Fill glass with soda water.

* Serve with a long spoon.

"Sloppy Joe's" (Bar Menu), 1934

MOJITO

* 1 Teaspoonful of sugar

* One half of lime

* 1 Part of Rum

* Seltzer water

* Leaves of Mint

* Shell of lime

* Serve in a High Ball glass, with cracked ice.

"Bartender's Guide", by Trader Vic, 1947

* 1/2 lime

* 3 sprigs mint

* 1 tsp. bar sugar

* 2 oz. Puerto Rico rum

Squeeze lime and drop shell in 10 oz. glass; add sugar to juice and mint leaves and muddle. Fill glass with shaved ice; pour rum over ice; stir or swizzle until glass frosts. Add dash of charged water; garnish with mint and serve with straws.

As for the Mojito Criollo I have very little except for what I have been told over the years, and a few web searches which don't really prove anything.

I am waiting for some people to get back to me, but at the moment all I have is a small snippet from a 1934 La Floridita Booklet.

La Floridita Booklet (1934)

* MOJITO CRIOLLO N°1, made with Rum

* MOJITO CRIOLLO N°2, made with Gin

* MOJITO CRIOLLO N°3, made with Brandy

To go with this I have the recipe from Cocktaildb.com, which must originally have been from a book:

* Build

* 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

* 1/2 tsp sugar, muddle with several mint leaves & lemon juice

* 1 1/2 oz light rum

* Add lime shell in glass

* Fill 2/3 with shaved ice

* Fill with soda

* Add mint leaf

* Serve in a tall glass

Is lemon juice a mis-translation? should it be limon verde, and therefore lime juice?

Any thoughts?

Cheers!

George S.

g.sinclair@yahoo.co.uk

http://www.wiki.webtender.com/wiki/

[CanadianBakin']

I realize this thread is 3 years old so nightscotsmans link doesn't work. My husband recently discovered Mojitos and would like to make them at home. Does anyone have a good recipe?

[eje]

Unfortunately, the hotwired cocktails stuff now seems to be lost to the sands of time.

Sometimes you can come up with a page if you use the google cache page.

There's a nice writeup of Mojitos by Mr. David Wondrich on the link below from the Esquire Drinks Database.

Mojito

[Tuck]

And a good source fr the mint?

[Bill Poster]

What, IYO, is the best rum for a mojito? Many bars use HC 3 yr

[karmalaundry]

My buddy and I spent all of last summer perfecting this, but I was forced to re-test everything because I forgot the exact measurements. So I grabbed all the ingredients and threw together several test batches.

Here's what I ended up with. So to kickstart your summer on a sunny day this spring, follow this.

Mojitos

Serves one.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 oz white rum [1]

15 spearmint leaves, washed

1/2 fresh lime, rolled and cut into quarters

ice, crushed or cracked

2 tbl. simple syrup [2]

8 oz club soda (I prefer Schweppes; it has bigger bubbles)

Tools:

knife

pint or highball glass

muddler [3] (use a wooden spoon if you don't have one)

Sidenote: I store my club soda and simple syrup in the fridge, and my rum in the freezer, because I'm a twit that likes his drinks proper cold.

Directions:

1. Pull the mint leaves from the stalks. Leave the tops on the sprigs for garnishes if you'd like.

2. Throw mint leaves in the pint glass with lime chunks.

3. Add simple syrup in the glass and muddle.

4. Add rum.

Note: Now here's where a lot of recipes differ. Some say add ice and then top with club soda. "Bartender's rules" state that ice is always the first thing in a glass. However, I like a completely blended drink, so I'm not drinking all rum or all club soda at one end of the glass. So I add the club soda before the ice.

5. Add club soda, and fill remainder of glass with crushed ice, give a stir, and then garnish with lime wedge and mint sprig.

6. Enjoy.

[1] Please try to use a higher end white rum. Anything but Bacardi; it's McRum, and isn't worth its price. For a dollar or two more a bottle, get something like Myers, Appleton, or Mount Gay. You'll probably be pleasantly surprised at how much better it tastes.

[2] I prefer a 2 cup to 1 cup sugar-to-water ratio, but make sure you're using at least a 3:2 ratio. Most recipes you'll see call for a 1:1 ratio. I didn't find that suitable at all as you're using the syrup for sugar's sake, not for the addition of liquid. Be sure to store it in a sealed glass bottle in the fridge if you have some left over. And don't bother buying superfine sugar when you make it, regular C&H is fine. And if you want to know how to make simple syrup, just look it up on google, or ask me.

[3] I passively searched for months before I found the perfect muddler. I looked in cooking stores (Kitchen Kaboodle), specialty stores (Sur La Table), industrial kitchen stores, etc. None of them had muddlers that made sense. Either they were varnished (yuck!), the handle was too small or awkward, or the business end was too big, a goofy shape, or something equally unusable. I found what I was looking for at a Tommy Bahama store of all places. It's unvarnished wood, with a nice simple handle and it's thin so it works well in a highball glass. Remember if you get a wood muddler, never put it in the dishwasher! It will crack and be ruined.