Tags
alcohol, bar spoon, crushed ice, gomme, high ball, lime, mint, mojito, rum Bacardi, sugar, the cuban
There are various ways to make this classic cocktail, and there is no right or wrong answer. I am going to talk you through how I like to make it first, and then I will suggest other ways and let you decide for yourselves.
1, Muddle 4-5 wedges of lime and a flat bar spoon (teaspoon is fine) of granulated brown sugar into a high ball glass.
2, Clap a small handful of fresh mint and drop it into the glass
3, Add 50ml of white rum, followed by a heap of crushed ice- filling to about three quarters full.
4, Using a bar spoon (handle upwards with the spoon end in the drink) make a stabbing motion into the glass and the ingredients- try and scoop out the limes and mint pulling them upwards towards the top of the glass.
5, Top up with Soda and crushed ice so the glass is full if not slightly heaped with crushed ice.
6, Garnish with a lime wedge balanced in the ice and a mint leaf and two straws.
I personally like to use brown sugar when mixing this cocktail; the reason being is because I like the granulated texture as it doesn’t completely dissolve in the liquid. I once had a Bacardi representative advise me to use white sugar and to dissolve it into squeezed lime juice and white rum (Bacardi surprisingly enough) before adding the mint and ice. This version drinks smother than mine as it doesn’t have the granulated effect of the brown sugar so that is entirely down to personal preferance.
Additionally, the differences in these two methods not only alter the texture but the appearance too. My version is a ‘chunkier’ drink, with the limes and sugar there is a lot more going on in the glass which I feel is a garnish in itself. The version Bacardi offered to me however looked neater and cleaner. However, as far as taste goes it didn’t really make a difference except the texture of the sugar and perhaps there was more soda since there was more room in the glass. If you like a stronger boozier drink go for mine, if you want something to sip and last longer go for the latter.
The bar that I currently work in uses Gomme (sugar syrup) and gold rum to make this cocktail. I think the difference in flavour is significant and I put it down to the Gomme. I assume since the sugar is essentially watered down, it adjusts the flavour of the sugar making it less sweet, therefore either more syrup is required, or alternatively the drink isn’t as sweet. Additionally, the gold rum will make a small adjustment to the flavour, although I think the sugar is more significant.
Finally, those of you who think it’s really pretentious to clap the mint I have one thing to say to you. It definitely is. It makes little difference really except in the process of building the drink. Clapping it essentially releases the aroma and you will notice that you can smell it a lot more after you have clapped it, or bruised it. You can probably skip the bit where you put it in the drink -just chuck it in there- but the piece you use to garnish should be clapped because it makes the drink more aromatic and the garnish should sit right by your nose! Give it a go.
The one way wrong way to make this drink is with sprite or lemonade…..don’t do it. Unless you’re making a non alcoholic one for a 10 year old just man up and use soda water, there is enough sugar and flavour in there already!!
Feel free to comment. How do you make your Mojito? Do you agree with my method or do you condemn my drink making skills after this one blog!
I will also be posting more methods on how to build or mix a drink that identifies the different methods, the types of tools, and the types of glasses. Feel free to make suggestions or ask questions on the subject.