The Perfect Mojito

After spending the weekend eating fabulous Creole foods in New Orleans (which I’ll be talking about next Monday!), I came back to a sunny and warm Wisconsin afternoon. Since it was probably one of the last we’ll see for awhile, it just begged for one of my favorite guilty pleasures:  Mojitos.

Delightfully refreshing, tart and boozy, mojitos are a traditional Cuban cocktail that make a great pairing for any spicy, Latin meal or just a warm, Indian summer evening. Don’t be intimidated by the fact that they’re often a specialty drink at restaurants…you can easily make this mojito recipe at home.

Mojito
2 oz white rum
3/4 of a lime
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
ice (crushed is nice but cubes work too)
handful fresh mint leaves
splash of lemon-lime soda

For the perfect mojito, make each cocktail in its own glass or make two using a cocktail shaker.

Combine mint leaves and sugar in the bottom of a pint glass or cocktail shaker. Slice lime into quarters and fully squeeze two quarters over the mint and sugar.

Use a muddler to muddle together the ingredients until mint leaves are broken up and sugar is dissolved.

Add ice and squeezed lime slices to the glass. Pour in rum and splash of soda. Shake or stir well. Squeeze another lime quarter over the top and add remains to glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.