The Mojito Rules
Want to test a bartender’s aptitude? Ask for a mojito. I’ve been served so many busted and butchered mojitos since the drink hopped on the fame escalator that I’ve formed some kind of psychosomatic mojito allergy. I cringe when I see bartenders pummel mint into mulch with their muddlers and turn green at every press release shilling a new mojito “mix” or mojito-themed product (gum, air freshener, perfume, action figures, you name it).
Oregon-based mixologist/blogger Jeffrey Morgenthaler feels my mint-in-the-teeth pain, and recently posted an excellent list of mojito dos and don’ts, which should be posted behind every bar in America, along with his recipe for a proper mojito (below), which has given me hope that the mojito still has a chance.
Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s Mojito (The Right Way)
Makes 1 drink
1 large mint sprig
3/4 ounce simple syrup
1/2 of juiced lime hull
1 ounce fresh lime juice
2 ounces white rum, preferably Bacardi
3 ounces sparkling mineral water
Crushed ice
Mint sprig, for garnish
In a highball glass, gently muddle the mint and simple syrup. Add the lime hull, lime juice, rum and mineral water. Top with the crushed ice and stir until the glass is frosty. Garnish with the mint sprig.
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