Caster Sugar Vs Powdered Sugar
Powdered, or confectioners’, sugar is finely ground granulated sugar that has been mixed with a small amount of cornstarch to prevent clumping. It’s commonly found in frostings and icings or dusted over desserts. Powdered sugar is finer than caster sugar, and the two are usually not interchangeable.
How To Muddle Mint For A Cocktail
Muddling is a technique used in drinks to gently mash herbs or fruit to release their juices. You can do this with the bottom of a wooden spoon or with a proper muddler. Either way will work!
Place the mint leaves in the bottom of a sturdy cup or cocktail shaker. Gently mash the mint a few times with a muddler to release the oils form the mint. You do not want to pulverize the mint, just press firmly to release the oils!
Classic Mojito Cocktail Recipe
Everyone loves a Classic Mojito. The refreshing and cool mint flavor, mixed with fresh lime juice, rum, and sugar makes a lively combination.
» You might like this Blueberry Basil Mezcal Cocktail or Baileys White Russian Recipe.
Ive had so many Mojitos at restaurants and resorts that are watered down and/or not properly balanced in flavor. They can be so terrible that you start thinking thats how theyre supposed to be, but I can assure you its not.
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Secret To A Better Mojito
Before now, you may have made mojitos like this: You threw some mint, lime juice, and sugar into a glass and then mashed em up with a wooden spoon, or if you were feeling bartender-y, with a fancy muddler. Then you added a little booze and a lot of soda water, resulting in a sparkling, mint salad in a glass with a hint of rum.
No more. Youre better than that, and your mojitos should be too! The better way to make mojitos takes a little more time, patience, and effort, but is well worth it.
Take a mortar and pestle and slowly crush the mint and sugar with a splash of the rum until you have a very fine paste. After that, add the rest of the rum and let it infuse for a few minutes, then strain the mixture, and top with a bare splash of soda.
The result is a mojito that’s not only cleaner in appearance , but also endlessly more flavorful than any mojito youve previously experienced.
Tips To Make The Perfect Mojito
- Use a build glass. When you pour alcohol and mixers directly into a glass, youre building a cocktail.
- Pour the lime juice over the mint when you muddle the lime.
- Dont muddle the mint too much.
- Use a simple syrup.
- Instead of adding the club soda as a float, put it in the bottom of the mixing glass and pour the other ingredients on top.
- Always slap the mint before adding as a garnish. This releases the mint oils.
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Best Practices: Less Is More When Youre Making Mojitos
Its easy to botch Mojitos. Despite having four ingredients and breezy, tropical-island vibes, Mojitos require precision. In a drink with so few components, youll taste every off flavor, from subpar spirits to from-concentrate citrus.
Like their cousins, the Daiquiris, Mojitos are a combination of rum, lime juice, and a sweetener. Mojitos also involve fresh mint, an herb that seems hardy in the garden but goes from pleasantly muddled to limply lifeless in an instant. Making drinks with raw sugar also presents a challenge. If it isnt properly dissolved, youll be crunching on crystals with every sip.
We spoke with five bartenders about their tips for making stellar Mojitos. From at-home hacks, to the one bartending technique you should never ever use, here are five dos and don’ts for mastering Mojitos.
How To Make A Pitcher Of Mojitos:
If you happen to be making a round of mojitos for a group, feel free to try out the mojito pitcher recipe below instead! To make a pitcher of mojitos, simply
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How To Make A Mojito Cocktail
This Cuban cocktail is made with only a few simple ingredients, but the end product is the right combination of sweet and sour, not to mention refreshing! What distinguishes this recipe as a five-star recipe? With authentic, fresh ingredients, it keeps faithful to the classic mojito. The recipe serves one, but you can easily double it to make a pitcher for summer entertaining.
What Exactly Is A Mojito
A mojito is a typical Cuban highball drink. Unsurprisingly, this drink has Cuban components such as rum, lime, mint, and sugar. To make a thirst-quenching libation, top the mixture with a little club soda. It takes a little more effort than other mixed cocktails because it begins with a muddle of fresh mint, lime, and sugar to unleash the flavors. However, its well worth it for a refreshing, effervescent, and somewhat sweet rum drink thats still one of the most popular today.
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What Is Caster Sugar
Caster, or castor, sugar is a type of fine granulated sugar that’s widely available in the United Kingdom. It’s not quite as common in the United States, though you can find it in some baking aisles under the name “superfine sugar.” Its texture is somewhere between regular granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar. What’s with the name? Years ago, this type of sugar was often found in a shaker and sprinkled on fresh fruits.
Twists On The Classic Mojito
Bitters: JJ Goodman from the London Cocktail Clubs recommends the addition of Angostura bitters to the top of the drink. Why? “A) for the aroma, and b) because I love how it lightly infuses with the bottom liquid in the drink,” he explains.
Berries: Cocktail Kate is a fan of adding a few berries to the glass before the mint . Raspberries, blackberries and strawberries work well, and you can also substitute half of the sugar syrup for a fruit liqueur in these cases to further amplify the fruity flavours.
Elderflower: Substitute the sugar syrup for elderflower cordial for a lighter, more fragrant mojito.
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How To Make Mojito Simple Syrup:
How To Make A Mojito:
So lets talk about how to make mojitos! For a single serving, simply:
That said, while making a mint mojito in a cocktail shaker is standard, I often take a shortcut and just muddle and mix everything together directly in the serving glass , which is just as delicious. )
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The Best Ice For A Mojito: Crushed Or Cubes
One last thing about this simple mojito before we get to that recipe! Many purists argue over the right ice to use in a mojito: crushed ice, or cubed. In our research, weve found this: crushed ice melts faster. So if sparkling water is added as part of a drink, you should use ice cubes, not crushed ice that might water it down more.
Using that theory: since soda water is added to this mojito as part of the cocktail, you should use ice cubes and not crushed ice! Now you know. Of course as with any cocktail rule, you can break it at any time. If you prefer crushed ice: be our guest! It would be just as tasty.
How To Make Caster Sugar
The best substitute is DIY caster sugar. Make the British ingredient at home with just granulated sugar and a food processor, blender, or coffee grinder. To make caster sugar, simply pulse or blend granulated sugar until it reaches a finely ground but not powdery consistency. Two or three quick pulses will usually do the trick.
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What Kind Of Rum For Mojito
Inexpensive white rum is the perfect choice for adding to a Mojito cocktail recipe. Save your premium brands for another day.
You can undoubtedly use what you have on hand, but if you are buying a new bottle specifically for this best Mojito recipe, you wont go wrong by picking up one of the following brands:
- Bacardi Superior. Its cheap, and its good. There is absolutely no shame in mixing up a Mojito drink with this old standby. In fact, the rums mild sweetness and almost floral flavor go incredibly well with lime juice.
- The Real McCoy 3-Year Old. This aged rum has a bit more going on than Bacardi Superior with its slight buttery caramel flavor and citrus undertones. It is 100 percent sugar-free, and you can find it for just a few dollars more than Bacardi Superior.
- Don Q Rum Cristal. If you are looking for a smooth rum without any bite, Don Q Rum Cristal might be your rum of choice. The manufacturer prides itself on creating a rum with strong vodka vibes and neutral flavors. If you are a vodka drinker, youll appreciate this rum.
How To Muddle Fresh Mint
Muddling is a fancy word for lightly bruising the mint leaves to help release some of the oils into the cocktail. Most people use a muddler, like an OXO SteeL Muddler, but if you dont have one, you can use the end of the handle-side of a wooden spoon or even the outside bowl of a spoon.
The key is to use light pressure to break up the outer layers of leaves. You dont want to tear the mint leaves into shreds.
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A Bar Above Solid Plastic Muddler Extra Long
Thou Shalt Not Buy Short Muddlers. The standard 8 muddler will result in bruised and bloody knuckles from hitting them against the side of the glass. We designed our custom muddler to be extra long and made of solid, heavy plastic. Its durable, balanced, and dishwasher safe!
Are you thirsty yet? Grab the recipe to this classic rum cocktail, just in time for summer:
Classic Mojito Recipe
Can You Make A Mojito With Vodka
As with any cocktail, experimentation is always welcome. You can make this mixed drink with pretty much any base spirit, although if you want it to resemble a mojito, Id recommend sticking with spirits that arent flavored. While it wont technically be a mojito anymore, Im sure itll still be delicious!
Heres some inspiration:
- Make it with whiskey: its very close to a mint julep.
- Make it with gin: Its a Southside.
- Make it with tequila: Well, I dont know what thats called, but it sounds good!
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How To Make A Mojito
Ready to learn how to make a mojito? Heres what you need to do:
First, muddle the mint. Place it in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and use a cocktail muddler to press it until it becomes aromatic. When youre muddling the mint, your goal isnt to pulverize it or crush it. Instead, just bruise it slightly to help it release its fragrant oils. This should only take a few taps with your muddler!
Second, shake! Add the rum, lime juice, simple syrup, and a handful of ice to the cocktail shaker, and shake it vigorously until the ingredients are completely combined and chilled.
Then, strain your mojito. Strain the contents of the cocktail shaker over a glass filled with ice. Top your glass with soda water, and garnish it with lime slices and more fresh mint sprigs.
Finally, taste and adjust. This step is essential anytime youre making a cocktail at home. It gives you a chance to customize your drink to your tastes, finding a balance of flavors you really love. If you prefer a tarter mojito, add an extra squeeze of lime juice. If you want it sweeter, stir in a bit more simple syrup. Not strong enough? Well, you know what to do.
Enjoy!
Use Rum You’d Drink Straight
Using a flavorless rum only makes the drink taste like a boozy, mint soda, David Mor, beverage manager, Cindys, Chicago, says. You dont have to blow your budget on a top-shelf bottle, but you should use a rum you like the taste of straight. The sugar, citrus, and mint adorn the spirit in this drink, they dont mask it.
Mojitos traditionally call for white rum, but you can certainly swap in dark, aged varieties. I like to use a dark rum to add a little bit more flavor, Kenneth McCoy, chief creative officer, Public House Collective, NYC, says. Whatever age statement or flavor profile you choose, remember that the spirit will be the most powerful flavor in your drink.
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A Mojito Thats Just Sweet Enough
The best part about this mojito recipe: its just sweet enough! So many mojito recipes can be like drinking sugar water. This one is sweetened just enough to be refreshingly tart, but not too sweet. Of course if you like your drinks sweeter, feel fee to add more sweetener to taste. There are two options for sweetening this mojito recipe, depending on your preferences:
- Simple syrup: Ultra classic is to use simple syrup! You can buy it or its easy to make at home. Heres how to make simple syrup.
- Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup is a fantastic natural sweetener for cocktails! It has a nuanced flavor and gentle way of sweetening drinks. It doesnt taste like maple: it just adds a natural sweetness.
The History Of The Great Mojito Cocktail
Mojito is a Cuban cocktail which there is lots of legends about. Exactly like many other classic craft cocktails. The mojito can be traced back to the 1600. It evolved from what back then was know as El Drague which consisted of aguardiente, mint, lime and sugar cane . This mix was popular because of the health benefits of the lime, mint and alcohol. Alcohol was known as medicine and more clean than water. Lime and mint was also known for helping prevent sickness. The sugar cane and the mix in general also tasted good and made you feel better. That is also important to remember.
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Where Was The Mojito Invented
The mojito originated in Cuba, possibly derived from a 16th-century medicinal tonic known as El Draque . It’s said that in the 1800s, Africans who had been enslaved and working in Cuba’s sugarcane fields commonly took a similar elixir. As it advanced from tonic to beverage, the mint, lime, and sugar masked the taste of cheap rum. Havana lays claim to inventing the cocktail as it’s known today with the introduction of ice and soda. The mojito grabbed international attention when Americans flocked to Cuba during Prohibition. It was supposedly second to the daiquiri on Ernest Hemmingway’s list of favorite cocktails. Over the years, the rum improved, and the mojito’s fame spread immensely.
The Best Mojito Recipe
- Find your glass. Cut half a lime in pieces. Put them in the glass. Add 2-3 bar spoons of cane sugar to the glass.
- Muddle the lime and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved with the limejuice.
- Pick 10 great mint leaves. Give them a small spank. It will let all the good flavour from the mint come out. Put the mint down to the lime and sugar.
- Now you fill up your glass with crushed ice. If you dont have crushed ice but only cubed then find a way to crush that cubed ice! A towel and a pan and it should be an easy job.
- Pour your Rum and Sugar Syrup over your crushed ice. That will make the ice dissolve a bit which is fine.
- Churn your glass. Here its important to mix it all around. Make sure you get all the mint, lime and sugar in the bottom up. You want it all to be mixed and spread around the glass in a nice way.
- Fill your glass with crushed ice again.
- Now you top of your Mojito with sparkling water.
- At last but not least you garnish your Mojito with a lime wedge and a lovely mint sprig. The look of a cocktail is very important. It will only make your Mojito taste even better.
- Cheers! Remember a Mojito is always better surrounded by awesome people. A friend, colleague or your mom. They are all great. Cheers for that!
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