A Highly-Technical Mojito Question

A very good and admirable friend gave me a very good and admirable gift: a set of Tommy Bahama mojito glasses.

These glasses are chimney-style glasses, 8.5 inches tall and 2 inches in diameter.

I prepared a mojito in the traditional manner: four sprigs of fresh mint, 1.5 ounces of white rum, teaspoon sugar, juice of 1/2 lime along with their rinds, dropped into bottom of glass and thoroughly muddled. And let sit for five minutes for good measure.

Then, drop ice cubes on top of precious mojito juice. Then, fill with club soda. Garnish with another sprig.

Well. It was light and refreshing, as a mojito must be, but mayhaps a little too light. Due to the extreme narrowness of the glass, the precious mojito essence was not mixing properly with the club soda on top, blocked as it was by the ice.

So when the club soda part was done then it was time for over-intensified mojito essence, which, I must confess, I had to go at rather like a bear trying to get at the bottom of a honey jar. I was glad my wife and children were not present.

When I make a mojito in a wide-diameter glass like an old-fashioned, this problem doesn't crop up. The box specifically says these are for mojitos only. Did I do something wrong? Shall I consign them to mint juleps only?

I realize there are starving babies and the world is generally going to hell in a handbasket, but questions like these are important too and, I think, what really separates us from the animals.

Thanks in advance!

Don't get on the ship! Don't get on the ship!

[ Edited by: Satan's Sin 2005-09-29 13:37 ]

The mojito glasses at our restaurant were also pretty tall and thin, more like a collins glass. We added the rum, lime (with the rind, plus some added juice), syrup, and mint to the bottom of a metal shaker and muddled it there. Then we'd add ice, shake, and strain into the ice filled glass, then garnish with a substantial lime wedge, a sprig of fresh mint, and a 6' piece of sugar cane which was split into quarters. Mmmmm, they were good! That is actually the reason I learned to love rum. Hope that helps. :)

finkdaddy -- thank you!

7-up is better than club soda. But then a missionaries downfall is better than the mojito.....

I would just shake'em with normal icecubes and don't strain them, i like some spinach in my glass with a mojito! :wink:
And i think it's better to muddle the lime first and then the mint so you dont tear the mint up to much.

Also a nice mojito by the way: Glens Mojito
http://www.fluidfoundation.com/cocktail_nov2004-4.asp
Only i use half gingerbeer and half soda.

p.s. the AC blazer on that site is amazing!

[ Edited by: Tiki Rotterdam 2005-09-30 07:13 ]

[ Edited by: Tiki Rotterdam 2005-09-30 07:15 ]

The fixin's not mixin' is a common problem with tall narrow glasses, even if the drink is just a Cuba Libre. 3 cheers for the swizzle stick. Or: Pour a little soda onto the muddled ingredients and ice, swizzle it up gently, top off with soda. This works with other mixed-in-the-glass drinks. That first splash of mixer helps integrate the alcohol part of the concoction into the rest of the mixer.

PS: "The box specifically says these are for mojitos only." Be sure to heed that warning. Mojito glasses are highly unstable, serving any other sort of drink in one is a dance with danger.

It's been a while, but I always started mine off in a metal shaker or mixer can.
A little ice,
a little sugar,
crush with muddle,
add a little mint,
muddle,
add limes,
muddle,
add rum and swizzle around,
pour in glass,
stir in soda and top with a couple cubes of ice.

Maybe it is a few more steps, but it is really easy to make several at once... thereby saving time mixing, and making more dime for drinking.

-T.J.

Many thanks for the thoughtful responses. I have studied them carefully and pondered them much, and now, o teachers, have attained mojito nirvani.

Put the rum, mint and lines into a metal shaker. Muddle, muddle, muddle. Pour into chimney glass. Fill to the 3/4 mark with 7-Up. Stir. Fill with ice.

Tart. Minty. Bubbly. Refreshing. All one needs is a chaise longue, cigar, and good detective novel.

Thanks, guys. Thanks so very much.

Satan's Sin
On a recent trip to Cuba, we befriended a elderly bartender at our hotel that basically followed your recipe (including several minutes of muddling) but added 3 drops of bitters before adding the soda. He always served the drink with a spoon so that you could continue to muddle between sips.
The bitters really enhance the flavour of the drink.
Now, I'm craving one (and it's only 10am)!

Pepe -- thanks for the tip!

Bitters are, after all, an incredibly important part of a Manhattan. So why not a mojito?

Will try it today. A mojito is now how I officially end my workday. Can't wait.

All good points, but ONE thing that has definitely improved my Mojitos is the Kentucky Colonel Mint we now grow in our garden.
The herb is fantastic, and has been a godsend to me for juleps and mojitos.

I think two things might enhance your experience. The first is using simple syrup instead of sugar (2 parts sugar, 1 part water, brought to a boil until the sugar is clear, then cooled).

The second is mixing briefly after you pour in the soda. Stir gently from the bottom up. It will bring the mint oil and the syrup to the top.

And to the guy who suggested using 7-up instead of soda. Ick! You don't use sugar, too, do you? It would taste like rum-flavored PEZ.

-HH

On 2007-10-09 04:13, hamsterhuey wrote:....It would taste like rum-flavored PEZ.

-HH

Now there is a great idea! The little head dispenser can be a Bottle instead of a cartoon character (a cartoon bottle of course).

I like 7up in my Mojito's but I cut all the sugar back accordingly. It seems to have more fizzy life to it. I have had some decent results using diet 7up, and the bitters really help if you use diet anything.

And, the sugar syrup for mixing is a good idea, but you really do need the crystal sugar to assist in the muddling process. When you mash down the limes and mint into the sugar it helps to pull the oils out of each. And it is those oils that give you the wonderful nose to the drink.

For safety reasons you should muddle in a metal shaker. Few glasses have enough real 'bottom' to them to hold up to the muddle. Press too lightly and you don't get all the lime yuminess, press too hard and you risk breaking the glass.

And since you are already using a shaker for the muddle, go ahead and mix the whole drink in the shaker and then pour over ice into your mojito glass.

I would caution on using 7-up or shaking in a shaker with ice. This changes the taste of the original mojito recipe. It may be good, but it's not necessarily a proper mojito.

A good solution is as simple as adding the soda and stirring lightly before you add the ice. Screw "traditional mixing methods" when they simply don't work. It's silly to expect the mixture on the bottom to mix by itself.

I also use the sugar for an abrasive during the muddling, but you can't expect the sugar to fully dissolve in cold soda. I also keep some simple syrup on the side to sweeten to taste after it's all mixed.

In the end, I believe it's more important to go for taste, not method.

On 2007-10-09 07:27, DJ HawaiianShirt wrote:...In the end, I believe it's more important to go for taste, not method.

Amen! Pass the limes!

7-Up in a Mojito?!

I strongly object.

There is something fundamentally wrong with reading a thread about Mojitos at 11 in the morning and being stuck at work and not at the beach... sigh

Speaking of Mojitos. Thought I would post this recipe using Pirate's Choice key lime rum. The drink is called 'Pirate's Mojito.' I guess 7-up is more common than I thought. The blue curacao is an interesting twist also. Not sure I would enjoy this variation as much as good ol club soda, sugar, mint, lime and rum, but I ordered some PC key lime rum to make regular mojitos with. Anyone tried a similar recipe.

1½ oz Pirates Choice Key Lime Rum
7 ea. Large mint leaves
½ oz Lime sliced into 4 wedges
1½ oz Teaspoons sugar
3 oz 7-Up or Sprite
1 oz Club soda
¼ oz Blue Curacao
Muddle mint, lime wedges and sugar. Add the rest. Pour twice to mix.

Make sure you peel the mint leaves off the stems.
The stems can leave a bitter taste.

Mojito = Bartender's nightmare (When it's busy)

My nomination for a "MINO"..."Mojito In Name Only": The wife ordered a "Pineapple Mojito" at dinner last night, and although it tasted pretty good, it sure as heck wasn't a mojito! Ingredients were Captain Morgan spiced rum, Malibu coconut rum, pineapple juice, muddled lime wedges and mint leaves. No fizzy water of any kind. After my initial scoff of "That's not a mojito!" the wife said, "Well it does have lime and mint," I replied, "Yeah, well so does a Mai Tai, and this ain't a Mai Tai either!" Of course, this restaurant also offered a "Mai Tai"...with pineapple AND orange juice!

I actually had a mojito on a Delta Airlines flight. They have a group of signature cocktails made with Stirrings syrups and on of them was a "mojito" (MINO type) with some kind of fruit mix, maybe it was passion fruit, maybe Mango, I cannot remember exactly. It was pretty good, especially for on an airplane, but not what I would rally call a mojito.

You're supposed to use a Collins Glass because the Muddle will fill up the bottom of the glass, and you don't have to grind as much. If you use syrup you lose the abrasiveness of the sugar and don't break down the oils in the mint. Mint can be "hurried" by placing it in really hot water, and quickly dousing it in ice water. Just do this with half your mint, the mint you are gonna muddle, not yer garnish. That will help yer thin bottom problem. That and a doughnut.

There are tons of killer mints that are a cinch to grow. They grow crazy fast and will survive a winter. I've got a Pineapple, a Chocolate, a Green Apple, a petite that's real mild, and a Southern Giant that's so strong it burns. The "Flavor" varieties actually smell just like their name. It's uncanny.

Laffo

I like the pineapple mint for muddling in a mojito. It has such nice, big leaves. I have also used chocolate mint in a Mai Tai. Nice result.

I had a passion fruit mojito at Mr. Tiki in San Diego last week. It was really light, fresh and delicious. First taste was a mojito, you definately tasted the mint, then it finished with strong passion fruit flavor.

If you know the recipe, please share it. I'm trying to get it. I'll do some experimenting as well. I don't think they used syrup, just passion fruit. Not sure though. But it was good!

Here's one I tried on a group of ladies at lunch time a few days ago, they all loved it...but of course they don't know s@$t. here it goes.

Raspberry Mojito

1/2 tsp. sugar
6-8 fresh mint leaves
2 lime wedges
club soda
2 oz. rum
1/2 oz. Chambord

Add sugar, mint leaves. lime wedges and a splash of club soda to a tall glass. Muddle until sugar is dissolved. Add ice to glass. Add rum and Chambord. Stir to mix. top with soda.

On 2007-10-09 04:54, Chip and Andy wrote:

And, the sugar syrup for mixing is a good idea, but you really do need the crystal sugar to assist in the muddling process. When you mash down the limes and mint into the sugar it helps to pull the oils out of each. And it is those oils that give you the wonderful nose to the drink.

Adding two ice cubes in the muddle solves this problem, if using simple syrup.

On 2009-12-16 11:13, TikiMookie wrote:
I had a passion fruit mojito at Mr. Tiki in San Diego last week. It was really light, fresh and delicious. First taste was a mojito, you definately tasted the mint, then it finished with strong passion fruit flavor.

If you know the recipe, please share it. I'm trying to get it. I'll do some experimenting as well. I don't think they used syrup, just passion fruit. Not sure though. But it was good!

I posted this in response to your question on another thread. In case you missed it: Not positive about the recipe for the Lilikoi Mojito at Mr. Tiki, but I think it's your basic mojito recipe using 3/4 oz each of Mount Gay Eclipse and Cruzan white for the rum component, and using passion fruit syrup rather than simple syrup or sugar.