Mojito

For those of you who know me, you know that on the weekends, I love nothing more than to have a drink with my friends and relax.  Just unwind with something cold that makes me forget about my stress…. at least for a few hours.  And during these drinking times, I have tried the usual refreshments.  Beer, wine, gin & tonic, vodka-red bull, etc.  Every once in a while, I like to change it up a bit.  Luckily I got the perfect Christmas gift from my brother to help me out in this tough situation.  May I present, my drink bible:

This book is thicker than a dictionary!  It has an incredible amount of information, not just regarding drinks, but what glass is correct depending on the type of tasty beverage to the basic ingredients that should be in every home bar.  I don’t have too many ingredients at home, so I thought I would start with something simple and classic.  Something that I should have tried when I was a young twenty-something year old and needed a drink off the top of my head when a guy would ask what I would like to drink…….or so I would fantasize…..Anyways, back to reality, my drink of choice for this weekend is the classic Mojito!

You don’t need too many ingredients for this drink.  Also, these ingredients are so generic, you can use them in many other drinks.  Like a rum & coke…..hmmm…that’s all that I can think of right now…probably because I’m drinking one as I am writing this post.  But anyways, very versatile ingredients!

So, the alcohol used in making Mojitos is rum.  It is combined with mint, lime juice, sugar, and club soda.  Very light and refreshing drink.  Perfect for these odd California winter days when it is 80 degrees outside and you can’t help but fire up the bbq and have a cocktail outside.  Seriously.  Its February!  And I’m wearing sandals!  Besides California’s freaky weather, this drink is very subtle in taste.  You might imagine its like drinking mint flavored chewing gum, but its not.  The mint is very mild and not overwhelming at all.  Plus I imagine that my breath smells fantastic…I will have to ask my husband to smell my breath next time.  I bet this would be a great first date drink.  Fresh breath and no weird stains on your teeth!  Score!

Lessons Learned:

• Muddle the mint.  Don’t tear it up otherwise you will be drinking/chewing bits of mint as you drink.
• Add sugar to taste.  I am used to cocktails being on the super sweet side, but this one is not.  The club soda doesn’t have much sweetness to it, so adjust to your taste.
• Don’t be afraid of mint!  I know not too many people cook with mint, but its very easy to work with.  It usually around $1 for a bunch at the grocery store and lasts for a couple of weeks in the fridge.  Only use the leaves and not the stems and you will be fine.

(adapted from Paul Knorr’s 10,000 Drinks)