Mojitos!

Over the past few years, I have developed a real appreciation for Cuban food.  It's one of my favorites.  Cuban cuisine also features some pretty solid drinks.  One of my favorites, especially for summer, is the mojito.  I just served these with my latest taco recipe!

Mojitos are kind of like margaritas to me.  I can't order them out anywhere.  Ninety-five percent of the time, they are a sugary, hollow shell of the real thing.  If I'm in Key West . . . well . . . that's different.  They know how to make them!

I like my mojitos on the strong, limey, and minty side - a little bit sweet but not cloyingly so.  Here's my recipe.  Like any cocktail recipe, you have to adapt it to your preferences.  I love the little pieces of lime zest and muddled mint in the drink!

Mojitos

Serves 1 to ?

Ingredients:

Limes

Sugar

Fresh mint

Light rum (I used Bacardi)

Ice cubes

Club soda

The proportions of all of these ingredients are up to your own personal taste.  I'll describe what I do; feel free to adjust as needed.

1.  For each serving, grate the zest of half a lime in a rocks glass.  (Ours hold about 12 oz.)  Squeeze in the juice of a whole lime.  (You will need more lime juice than zest.

2.  Add a scant tablespoon of sugar.    Adjust this amount to taste.

3.  Add a few sprigs of fresh mint.  At this point, ours looked like this:

Muddle the contents of the glass with the back of a spoon.  If you have fancy bar equipment, you can use that.  (We don't.)  Maybe some will show up for my birthday next month.  (Hint, hint.)  :)

4.  Add a healthy shot of rum.  The shot glass I use has a line just below the top that says 1.5 ounces.  I fill it all the way to the top!  If you let it overflow a little bit, I won't judge.  :)

5.  Fill the glass (more or less) with ice cubes.  Top off with club soda.  Stir and enjoy!

Do you have another method for making these?  Do you share my disdain for overly-sweetened drinks?  Please comment below!  Thanks for reading!