FOOD HOLIDAY: Celebrate National Mojito Day
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July 11th is National Mojito Day, and the Hard Rock Cafe is mixing up a storm. They sent us three recipes.
The classic Mojito is a blend of white rum, club soda, sugar/simple syrup, lime juice, mint leaves and ice. To vary the recipe, mixologists switch out the drink’s original muddled mint flavor with coconut, strawberries or other fruits. Here are three variations on the classic Mojito. The history of the Mojito is below. Ingredients For 1 Drink 1. MUDDLE strawberry purée, mint leaves and lime cubes well in a shaker. 2. ADD rum, pineapple juice and ice and shake with ice. |
 Strawberry and classic Mojitos (photo © Hard Rock Cafe). |
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3. STRAIN into a Collins glass with optional ice; top with club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig and a notched strawberry. RECIPE #2: PINEAPPLE COCONUT MOJITO Ingredients For 1 Drink |
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Preparation 1. MUDDLE colada mix, pineapple and lime cubes well in a shaker. 2. ADD rum, pineapple juice and ice and shake with ice. 3. STRAIN into a Collins glass with optional ice; top with club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig and a spoonful of toasted coconut. We’re not sure why the Hard Rock Cafe calls this gin-based drink a Mojito. Gin does not a Mojito make, even if you add the classic Mojito’s mint leaves and lime. So don’t be confused: This is a teaching moment. We love the combination of gin, cucumber and elderflower liqueur. With another name, this is a tasty cocktail. (Our favorite use: elderflower liqueur and sparkling wine are a heavenly combination.) Ingredients For 1 Drink |
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____________________ ‡The cucumber is a fruit native to India; it spread to Europe during Roman times. Cucumber juice is used in traditional Mediterranean and Indian beverages for its cooling effect. Monin Cucumber Syrup can be added to sweet or savory teas, lemonades, cocktails and mocktails. 1. MUDDLE the cucumber syrup and mint leaves well in a shaker. 2. ADD gin, liqueur and lime juice and shake with ice. 3. STRAIN into a Collins glass with optional ice; top with club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig and cucumber spear. The mojito (mo-HEE-toe) is a quintessential Cuban cocktail. The name derives from the African voodoo term mojo, to cast a small spell. According to Bacardi Rum, the drink can be traced to 1586, when Sir Francis Drake and his pirates unsuccessfully attempted to sack Havana for its gold. His associate Richard Drake (a distant relative) was said to have invented a Mojito-like cocktail known as El Draque, Sir Francis’ pirate nickname. It was made with aguardiente, a crude forerunner of rum, sugar, lime and mint. Around the mid-1800s, when the Bacardi Company was established, rum was substituted and the cocktail became known as a Mojito. Here’s the original Mojito recipe. ________________ *Cut each wedge of fresh lime into three “cubes.” This helps with the muddling. †Baccardi Dragonberry rum is flavored with strawberries and dragon fruit. Dragon fruit doesn’t have a lot of flavor per se, but it does enable a more interesting name than simply “strawberry rum.” |
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