exxxtra-minty mojito
The mojito may be my favorite cocktail. When the weather warms up, there are few things more refreshing than a tall glass of minty, sweet and tart goodness. I take an atypical approach to my mojito, however. If you’ve ever ordered one at a bar or restaurant, you’ve probably received a clear liquid with a few whole mint leaves swimming around. Tasty, but not nearly as tasty as it could be. I consider the amount of mint, and the degree to which it gets muddled, to be entirely insufficient for my tastes when it’s made correctly. You’ll notice that my mojitos are green. Really green. In fact, the xxx in the name is because it’s obscenely minty. Don’t worry – it’s not toothpaste minty. Just really fresh, green, delicious minty, which is offset beautifully with sweet and tart elements. I use a lot of mint, and I muddle it really well. Seriously – I don’t “bruise” it – I pulverize it. Don’t worry about those lovely little pieces of mint leaves floating around – they only enhance the aromatic qualities of this beautiful beverage from Cuba. The holes in a typical cocktail shaker lid will allow only the smallest pieces through; or, you can pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer before serving if you prefer to have no pieces of mint. exxxtra-minty mojito About 25 fresh mint leaves Half a fresh lime, juiced 1/8 tsp sugar (the coarser, the better) Two shots of light rum (I like Bacardi Limón for this recipe) Lemon-lime soda Put the mint leaves in a cocktail shaker. Add the fresh lime juice and then sprinkle the sugar on top, and muddle well. Really well. Like, to the point where there are no leaves, only bits and pieces. Add the rum and some ice, cover, and shake well. Put ice into two 6-8 ounce glasses and strain equal amounts of the contents of the shaker into the two glasses. Fill glasses with lemon-lime soda and stir gently. Makes two...
muddled cocktails
My muddler and I have had a lot of good times together. It helps me get out some pent-up aggression and I get a tasty cocktail out of the deal. You might say it’s therapeutic. I bought my first muddler in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the House of Bacardi. I knew I would use it when I make my exxxtra-minty mojitos. I had no idea that I would use it as frequently as I do, and with many different kinds of herbs, fruits, and other aromatics. Muddling is the technique that inspired the name Crushed Cocktails. A muddler is a long, thin utensil, usually with teeth on one end. It looks kind of like it could be a kinky sex toy, but it’s not – it’s used to bruise and crush various aromatics to help them release their flavors. Typically, the aromatic is muddled with sugar and a small quantity of liquid before other ingredients are added. How much or how little you muddle something depends on how much flavor you wish to impart to your cocktail, and whether you want large or small pieces of it in your cocktail. (No pieces also is an option; just use a fine mesh strainer.) All of the recipes in this section require a muddler. I recommend a metal one with plastic teeth and a comfortable handle end, but you also can purchase a wooden one if you prefer. If you have a mortar and pestle, that may work for some applications, but if you’re going to make more than one muddled cocktail, it’s best to make the very small investment in a muddler. My recipes usually specify that the muddling be done in a cocktail shaker, but it also can be done in the serving glass if you want all of the pieces to remain in the cocktail. Get yourself one of these sleek and sexy tools, and muddle...
