I have long been a fan of the mojito, and I am super excited that I now know how to make one the right way.

I have loved mojitos for as long as I can remember.  I have always tried to make them by some recipe I found online or in a cocktail book, but it just was not good.  We have SOOO much mint that grew back this year, so I really felt the pressure more than ever to make a good mojito.  It didn’t help my cravings when we were at the beach one day, and my sister-in-law mentioned how a cabana boy would make our little (almost) private beach perfect.  Because it so nearly is perfect already.  No high rise condos, no insane amount of people muddling up the water, and no tar balls.  Yet.

When Linda mentioned that cabana boy, I thought about that cabana boy bringing me a sweet, cool, minty Mojito.  When we got home, H found this mojito recipe from Jeffrey Morgenthaler. He also includes some do’s and don’ts which are also really helpful.   He has a pretty sweet blog about bartending and mixology in Portland, Oregon.  And y’all know I love Portland. We went on our honeymoon to Seattle and Portland last October, and I swear I would move there if it weren’t so dadgum far away from everyone I love.

So Jeffrey says that the secret to a mojito is the simple syrup.  Believe me when I say that he is totally right.  This recipe is so easy, it’s like 1,2,3.  Oh wait, it is!

Check it out:

• In a 16 oz. mixing glass, gently muddle together 1 large sprig of spearmint and .75 ounce of simple syrup.
• I use about 6 medium to large leaves and since  I don’t have that small of a measurer of ounces,  I just put in 3 tablespoons of the simple syrup (I like it sweet).  What is simple syrup you ask?  Boil a cup of water and add a cup of sugar until it dissolves.  Then let it cool.  He says it keeps for about a week in the frig.  We’ve had it for a week and a half.  I need to get a sweet little squeeze bottle to keep it in the frig so I won’t make a mess like I did yesterday.

Here comes the 1, 2, 3:

• Add 1 ounce lime juice and its spent hull.
• Add 2 ounces white rum. (He says Bacardi is as close to Cuban rum as he can find here.  I like that.)
• Add 3 ounces sparkling mineral water.

Top all that with crushed ice and mix. I give it a 10 out of 10 because it tastes just like the professional mojitos I’ve had here.

The sweetness of this is really up to you.  I like mine pretty sweet, so I use 3 tbsp.  Maybe you could put 2 tbsp and then add from there.  Make sure you mix it well.  Oh man, we’ve been sipping these on the porch in the late evenings, and they really hit the spot.  What’s your favorite summer cocktail?

Hot Buttered Rum

Hot Buttered Rum

In a mug, combine:

2 tbsp dark rum
4 or 5 tbsp of frozen awesomeness (or more of this tasty mixture if you prefer sweeter)
½ cup boiling water poured over the above ingredients

Frozen Awesomeness

1 cup butter, softened
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 pint of good quality vanilla ice cream, softened

Mix all but ice cream in blender or food processor. Stir in ice cream and freeze.