Talking about mojitos yesterday made me want one.  So (for the sake of the blog), I made myself a mojito last night after work, and took photos of the process (for you, dear readers, it’s all for you).  I had to work today, so it was a sans-alcohol mojito, but it was just as good and refreshing.

The original mojito idea was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and the recipe was something I looked up on my phone and glanced at briefly before heading out to buy ingredients.  I know, I can tell that I’m instilling so much confidence in you all ready.

Because I don’t have a muddler I had to “improvise” a bit during the assembly.  Honestly, I find myself improvising in the kitchen a lot.  There’s a lot of trial and error with a new recipe, but thankfully this one was harmless.  Anyway, if you’re curious at how I make mojitos, here’s my recipe:

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Thrown-Together Mojitos

Ingredients:

• Fresh mint leaves
• Sugar
• Lime juice (can use fresh, probably tastes better, but I bought it pre-juiced)
• White rum (optional – not pictured)
• Soda Water, chilled (I used Perrier because it was available, also Perrier has a lime flavour! More lime!)

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Step 1:  Take a bunch of mint leaves (6-8 depending on size, and whether you like it nice and minty or not).  Dice leaves with a knife if you have one, or tear leaves into pieces as to release the minty-goodness hidden inside, and put into an empty glass.

Step 2:  Add 1 tsp of sugar.  Or 1/2 tsp.  Or 1 & 1/2 tsp.  How sugary do you like your drinks?

Step 3:  The recipe says to add 1 ounce of lime juice, but I went with a bit more than 1/2 ounce as it was too limey.  I like there to be a bit enough to fully cover the sugar and mint, but not too much to drown it all.

Step 4:  This is where you’re supposed to muddle those items together, but if you don’t have a proper muddler you’ll have to be creative.  DON’T use the bottom of a butter knife (you’ll constantly be worried about cutting your hand on the serrated part).  I found that a beater from a stand mixer worked pretty good – it gets the bottom as well as the sides of the glass.  Just put the beater into the glass and press and twist for a while – 30 seconds or until you’ve worked out all your underlying aggression.

Step 5:  If you’re of legal age and like to indulge in an alcoholic beverage every once in a while, add 1 oz of white rum.

Step 6:  Add the soda water.  I used Perrier Lime the second time I made these (and no rum), which may have increased the lime flavour.  Maybe add some ice cubes to keep it good and chill, and to hold back some of the mint.

Step 7:  Let sit for a bit, so that all the flavours meld together.  Also, maybe now’s a good time to give it a stir.

Step 8:  Pretend you’re on a sunny beach and ENJOY!