How to Muddle Your Mojito

Aug 8, 2011
Sally Anne Lewis

Mojito, the ideal drink for summer - Sally Anne Lewis

Making the perfect mojito is really easy, and it's a very impressive drink to offer guests on a hot summer day.

The mojito comes originally from Cuba so it is good served with chips and salsa on the deck.

Ingredients

2 or 3 sprigs of fresh mint
Teaspoon of sugar
2 oz white rum
2 oz lime juice
4 oz club soda
Stick of celery with leaf left on (optional)
Ice

The key to a good mojito is the right kind of fresh mint. Really fresh as in just picked, so to begin with we’re going to talk briefly about growing mint. If you already have the mint please skip this and go to Muddling.

Mint is indispensable in a kitchen garden, but it can also be invasive so the best thing to do is take a large pot or a half barrel and make sure your drainage is good. You probably do not want to be watering the mint every day so add a reservoir. I use plastic gallon containers with the top cut off and I embed these so the top of my reservoir is about six inches below soil level. Add some stones to the reservoir and fill the container with soil. Plant the mint and give it a good soak. You can start using your mint almost immediately, but always leave a stalk or two to help it regenerate.

Muddling

This is something that is done to a number of herbs and it really means bruising the leaves to help release the essential oils or flavors. Muddling can be done with a wooden spoon, by using a pestle and mortar, or simply by rubbing the fresh herbs in your hands. When preparing a mojito it can work well if you use sprigs formed of the top two or three leaflets from the mint stalks and gently press them against the side of the glass with the back of a spoon, using a rolling motion. Be careful not to apply so much pressure that you break the glass.

Mixing

Muddle the mint and add the lime juice, sugar, rum and club soda. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and add ice to fill the glass, stir once more, add the celery stick and a straw, and serve.

Variations

The only necessary ingredients are rum, lime, mint and club soda. You can add an ounce of triple sec or use dark rum instead of light and you can serve this in any shape glass. A Collins glass is often used but it also looks good in a glass with rounded sides.