Thursday, May 12, 2011

Thirsty Thursday: Mojitos

Hello Gorgeous! Now that the weather is warmer and the fiancé and I can enjoy drinks on the balcony, I wanted to start a little series of posts featuring some of my favorite summer cocktails! You might not know this, but I worked as a bartender for several years, so I know a thing or two when it comes to making tasty beverages! One of my all time favorites is definitely the Mojito because it is light, fresh, and has just the right amount of sweetness! To help you make the most fabulous Mojitos at home, I've put together todays tutorial. I hope you enjoy it! Cheers!


1. Cut a whole lime in half (lengthwise), then make an incision through the middle of the inner pulp (across the width of the lime). Now cut the lime into 6-8 segments, making cuts lengthwise. By cutting the lime like this, you quickly create wedges with slits that can fit on the edge of a glass.


2. Pour some white sugar in a saucer. Run one wedge of lime around the rim of the glass you are going to use. Turn the glass upside down and rotate it in the sugar to coat the rim.



3. Wash a sprig of mint and pull the leaves off the stem, placing them at the bottom of the glass. Squeeze a few lime wedges and place them at the bottom of the glass as well. Using a muddler and a strong arm, muddle the lime wedges and leaves to extract the oil and juice. If you don't have a muddler, the back end of a wooden spoon will work fine (however, you can buy muddlers for under $5 at places like World Market).



4. Add two teaspoons of sugar (you can use more or less depending on your preferences), followed by another lime wedge or two (save two wedges for garnish). Muddle the concoction again.



5. Completely fill the glass with ice and pour 2 oz of light rum over the ice. If you don't have a jigger to measure out the rum, pour the rum slowly and count up to 4 seconds. If you accidentally pour in a little extra, it will be OK (wink)!



6. Top off the glass with plain soda water and give your drink a stir using a long spoon. To finish off your Mojito, garnish with a clean sprig of mint and two lime wedges on the rim of the glass. I also highly recommend a bendy straw.  :)



Tada! Now you're ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy this fabulous summertime cocktail! I hope you all have had some nice weather like we have in Chicago the last few days (minus the storm last night)! Do you all love Mojitos as much as I do? What are some of your other summer favorites? Be on the lookout for another one of my favorites in a couple weeks!
P.S. Happy Birthday to my Dad, whom I'm sure would love a Mojito to celebrate!

13 comments:

  1. So yummy, darling!
    I love mojitos!

    xoxox,
    CC

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  2. Come on over! I love having people over for drinks on the balcony! :)

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  3. Happy birthday to your dad and how refreshing do those mojitos looks!

    xoxo,
    Chic 'n Cheap Living

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  4. yum!! when i'm in chicago you're totally making that for moi, with the pink straw of course, which totally makes it. :)
    And, happy bday to your daddy!

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  5. That looks sooooo yummy!!! I've never had a mojito, what is wrong with me?!?! I'm going to have to try this! Happy bday dad!!
    xxoxoxo
    Lia

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  6. Yumm.. Make it 2.
    I love mojitos.. Cheers!!!
    Lee x

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  7. Oooh this is exactly what I need for later today!!! :)

    xoxo,
    Mel

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  8. I actually don't like mojitos, but they look so pretty and refreshing that I want to carry one around as my summertime accessory! :) I'm a huge sangria fan, so dining al fresco with a pitcher of sangria is my heaven. So jealous of your balcony, btw!

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  9. oh mojitos are my fave! seriously...i moved over to arizona and i would ask for a mojito and people would stare at me like "what's that?" apparently, arizona is big on margaritas...not mojitos.

    thanks for the how-to and happy bday to your dad!

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  10. I could go for one right now! Who cares if it's not even 2:00. Haha!

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  11. Alyson- I'm definitely making you one of these if you come up to Chicago (even if it's cold outside)! And Lia- can't believe you've never had one! You MUST make this ASAP! So good! Cheryl, Arizona just got a little less cool in my book- can't believe people down there don't know what a Mojito is! You need to educate them! ;) Thanks for all the fabulous comments, ladies! Wish we could all meet up for an impromptu happy hour!

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