Idea
Take a sling or bamboo or collins glass. 10-12 mint leaves. 20 ml fresh limejuice. 15 ml sugar syrup (2:1 sugar:hot water and cool down) 50 ml light or dark (older) rum.
- clap the mint leaves 2-3 times in your hands. This makes the scent and aroma come free. Put them in the glass.
- add the limejuice, sugar water and rum.
- add crushed ice and stir well. Add more ice till glass is full.
- taste for own flavour and adjust otherwise by adding more sweet or sour.
- garnish with mint top and 2 long straws.
Why like this?
- muddling the mint makes it brown and look old. Like it never was ok to start with. Further more it tears it into small pieces, which one sucks up through the straw. Not nice.
- muddling lime wedges (wedge is 1/8 of a citrus fruit) gives an added bitter. This because inside of the skin is bitter. (just as the white in the center of citrus fruit)
- sugar water creates a even taste from start to finish. Using cane sugar does not. One has to equally suck up the cane from the bottom and upwards to rest of the drink. So one sip is sweet and the next is sour.
- using as much ice as fits in the glass ensures a longer lasting original taste of the cocktail. It stays cold longer and has less melting water. Compare with chilling a glass with 2 ice-cubes or a glass filled up with cubes. The last has to work less to chill the glass. So less melting water that dilutes the taste.
- light rum creates a fresher taste. I like to use an older rum, because it has more body and character. Rounder taste. But in making fruity variations, use the light one. The taste of the fruit will come out better.
mojito additional
with why like this
at the end of the 4th point,
That is also why you should not top up with soda water. The minimum of carbon you use is negligible on the whole taste, but you add diluting. The many ice will melt slowly, that's all the diluting you want.
and at the end of the 5 point,
When fruit is not quite in the season, you can enhance it's taste by using a hint of white or black pepper and muddle that together with the fruit.
With preferably with red fruit like strawberries or raspberries.
Fruit with a “weak” taste with black pepper, like watermelon.
How to keep mint fresh the longest:
Loose leaves in a box with a lid on. On the bottom napkins made damp with fresh water.
Leaves on top and again damp napkins on top of the leaves. Close the box with the lid.
Every 2 days replace the napkins with fresh water. Store in cooler. Stays good up till 10-14 days.
A bunch of mint is best kept rolled into paper, made damp and close it at both sides.
Store in a box in the cooler. Also replace the paper every 2 days.
For transport best stored on crushed ice. No direct contact between ice and mint.
Best type of mint to use is either wild mint or Israeli mint.
Those that have thick leaves.
You could top the Mojito off with either Champenoise brut --- Luxury Mojito or with
Champagne brut ---- Decadent Mojito but then use more sugarwater (10-15ml more)