I officially welcomed in the Solstice with my first Mojito of the
summer. I fell in love with the Mojito long before I ever actually
tasted one. I've been a Hemingway fan for years, (I've read 'Islands
in the Stream' four or five times anyway) and Papa makes drinking in
general and the Mojito in particular, seem very appealing. I had my
first one in Los Angeles a few years ago and it was love at first sip.
In fact, it may have eclipsed the Gin and tonic as my official drink of
summer...although Bombay Sapphire gin is unquestionably a little bit of
heaven.
But the Mojito is something else altogether. And, unfortunately, along
with it's sudden popularity, has suffered from rampant and global
bastardization. In my books, and in Hemingway's incidentally, you have
to use Cuban rum, preferably Havana club and you must use fresh mint
and lime. No 'Real Lime' will be tolerated. Our backyard thankfully,
is blessed with a very healthy, if regularly denuded, Mint patch and my
LCBO, is blessed with a healthy stock of Havana club. What a
coincidence? I like a little bit of bite to the cocktail too, so I top
it off not with club soda but with Ginger beer. A couple of those and
I'm ready to go to the bullfights.
If you've never tried a Mojito and don't want to wade through the endless variations of recipe, here's a good one to start with. Enjoy.
Hi Neil! Ahhhh....Mojito!
I wonder if you and I had our first genuine Mojito at the same restaurant in LA. Mine was a behemoth frosty serving of shangrila. At $12.00 US, my imbibing was curtailed. However, the bartender imparted his recipe to me so that I may recreate this at home and I have. It has become a favourite among my friends. Now, speaking of gin, I have a cousin in-law who has her own micro gin distillery in Victoria BC. Her creation is a phenenomenally smooth potion that is best described as the cognac of gins. This one is made to be enjoyed neat. It is only availble in Victoria or through private order. She and her medical doctor husband have a website called Victoria Gin. Check this amazing website out. Slante!
Posted by: cher | June 23, 2009 at 08:04 AM