In honor of national rum day, the staff at BourbonBlog.com would love to explore this classic cocktail. Fresh, clean and refreshing- this drink is one of the easiest to create you own, signature cocktail. You may, preferably, use fresh juices or pre-batch with prepackaged juices for large audiences. Truly, it’s flexibility is a thing to admire.
First, the style of rum- silver, gold, spiced, dark, infused or aged. Use what you enjoy. The only style that we wouldn’t recommend you use is the super aged rum (15 years and up.) Our philosophy is that these products are best enjoyed neat, as they are both cost-inefficient and their craftsmanship is lost in many cocktails.
Second, the classic Mojito recipe, as we prepare it..
2 oz. Rum of choice
½ oz 1:1 Simple Syrup
Juice of 1 Lime
8-10 Mint Leaves (no stems)
Mint Spring, Slapped to release bouquet
Crushed Ice
Place Mint leaves in shaker tin. Muddle lightly, just to release oils (don’t overdo it!) Add lime juice, simple syrup and rum and top with ice. Shake well, for 20-25 seconds. Pour over crushed ice in a collins glass. Garnish with slapped mint.
By shaking and straining, you add water, filter the mint particles and insure proper incorporation of ingredients. In the following suggestions, you should reduce the shaking time to 10-15 seconds, because you will be adding liquid by muddling fresh fruit or adding juice to the drink.
Add ¾ oz juice, or muddle a similar amount of product- so that you arrive at the same yield. You will, of course have to experiment some with the ingredients until you come to an exact recipe of your new signature Mojito. Here are some ideas to inspire you below..
Fruit: Strawberry, Lemonade, Kiwi, Cherries, Grapes, Figs, Honeydew, Asian Pear, Apple, Cantaloupe, Grapple, Watermelon, Kumquat, Orange, Passion Fruit, Mango
Vegetable: Cucumber, Jalapenos, Chipotle, Cherry Tomato, Roasted Onion, Stock, Beet, Fennel
Next, you may want to substitute the mint for another flavor- or merely accent this flavor.
Herbaceous: Basil, Parsley, Oregano, Watercress, Bitter Greens, Cilantro/Coolantro, Epazote, Tarragon, Jasmine Blossom, Lemon Verbena
Sometimes, bitter elements can be added, but we will caution you as to thier usage, as these flavors can easilly overtake a cocktail, rendering it undrinkable.
Sweet: Maple syrup, Agave Syrup, Honey Water, Various Liqueurs, Aloe Vera Drink (Asia,) Compound simple syrups (rhubarb, root beer, Fennel)
Finally, the lime may also accented or replaced with other tart elements.
Sour: Lemon, Orange, Kumquat, Yuzu, Champagne Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar
We hope to have given you some great ideas for making your own signature Mojito variation. You can easily apply these techniques with regards to other cocktails and will find that once you get the hang of it, a whole world of house signatures will open up to you.
Article and recipes by BourbonBlog.comChef/Mixologist Stephen Dennison
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