Well since fellow Cosiite Eric Hutchins goes to the trouble of posting a drink of a the week now-a-days, I thought I'd start making them... beginning with this week's Mojito.

Eric describes the Mojito as "An apertif that is perfectly suited for warmer seasons, the Mojito stands out as a drink that is well-known but a bit tricky to make properly," which made me a bit nervous to use it as a starting point, but it just happens that I have a couple bottles of Rum, a mint plant, and a mini mart up the street to buy some sugar, so I figure if I screw it up, I can make it again!

Well as it turns out I didn't find it all that difficult to make. Of course I've never had a Mojito to compare it to, but the drink in front of me is refreshing, slightly minty, has a hint of lime and no sweet after taste... so from Eric's description, it tastes like I got it right. I did use a slight variant on Eric's recipe though, using cane sugar in place of simple syrup.

Here are some pics of what mine turned out looking like (a fine looking drink if I do say so my self):

A couple notes on the process: First, heed Eric's point about not "mashing" the mint, it's not necessary, and you'll overpower the drink. I added four peppermint leaves and two lime slices to my glass, covered in sugar and tapped five or six times with the handle of a wooden spoon. That's all you really need to release the flavor of the peppermint. Second, don't be afraid of the sugar. Eric points out that the drink should not have a sweet aftertaste, however if you use too little you'll lose out on the flavor as well. I used ~1.5 teaspoons in a collins glass, and it tastes just right to me. Your mileage may vary if using simple syrup.

So all in all a great a drink... good job Eric, keep posting and I'll keep drinking ;) Also as an interesting and fun point of reference for making the drink, check out Bacardi's Mojito site at bacardimojito.com.