Here is a delectable “That Cocktail Looks Fancy But Really It Is Quite Easy To Make” Cocktail Recipe to accompany your BBQ meals- any day of the week! The following cocktail pairs well with RIBS, brisket, BBQ chicken or good-old-fashioned burgers on the grill. THE MOST SUMPTUOUS MOJITO I’ve ever had was in 2008 and then again in 2018, at the now defunct South Beach/Miami, Florida aptly named “MOJITO’s LOUNGE.” This cocktail recipe is the closest thing to perfection that I have found in my sixteen years of searching! In both 2008 and 2018, we were served and ate The BBQ Cuban Sandwich with our MOJITOS. The LUSCIOUS combination of BBQ and mojitos flavor profile was STARTLING. It was an unexpectedly saporous miscellany of tastiness. The BBQ Cuban Sandwich is a dish “that brings together the flavors of tenderly smoked and seasoned beef brisket and succulent shredded pork. The dish is then topped off with melted Muenster cheese, pickles, fried onions, Southbound sauce, and served on freshly baked bread.” You can find a recipe for “BBQ Cuban Sandwich” at www.lanesbbq.com
Lane’s website says, “Overall, this sandwich is sure to satisfy even the most discerning foodie’s palate while introducing them to new culinary horizons.”
NOTE: The BBQ Cuban Sandwich and “THE CUBANO Sandwich” are NOT the same sandwich! You can find the recipe for “The Ultimate Cuban Sandwich,” from Chef Tyler Florence, here at: www.foodnetwork.com
THE REAL MOJITO:
This Cuban cocktail is uber refreshing and is the perfect balance of tart and sweet. For optimum taste, use fresh ingredients rather than already prepared elements of the cocktail. Yes, muddling of the lime, mint and sugar in order to release their flavors does require a teeny-tiny bit of labor, but the fizzy and thirst-quenching end result is well worth it!
Ingredients:
RUM– always use PLAIN white rum when making a mojito (not spicy or flavored rum)
We recommend www.bluechairbayru
Who’s “Beach Made And Blended White Rum” is “aged less than 100 feet from the high water line,” on the shores of the Caribbean. It’s Color and Clarity are, “Water white and crystal clear.” It’s Aroma is, “Light, golden sugar and tropical fruits, followed by subtle spices and beach aged hints of vanilla, rum cake and gentle oak.” The Body of the rum is, “Fresh, smooth, and clean.” And the Taste is described as a “Classic light Caribbean rum with hints of golden sugar, tropical and dried fruits, mild spice, gentle vanilla and bread pudding.”
MINT– spearmint is most commonly used to make mojitos; for an authentic Cuban mojito, try “Mentha x villosa,” a type of mint native to Cuba with a more understated flavor profile than regular spearmint
LIME-it is ESSENTIAL to use fresh squeezed/muddled lime juice for an enlivening tang
SUGAR-Granulated or Caster sugar is preferable to simple syrup, utilizing granulated sugar adds to the texture of the cocktail
CLUB SODA-used to top off and uplift the cocktail and to balance all the other ingredients
We recommend www.fever-tree.com
Who’s slogan is, “If 3/4 of your drink is the mixer, MIX WITH THE BEST!” Fever Tree are “delighted to announce that we have been named Drinks International’s number one and Top Trending mixer for the TENTH year running, as voted by the world’s best bartenders.”
The Real Mojito
Ingredients
- 1 ounce Rum We recommend www.bluechairbayrumWho’s “Beach Made And Blended White Rum” is “aged less than100 feet from the high water line,” on the shores of the Caribbean. It’s Colorand Clarity are, “Water white and crystal clear.” It’s Aroma is, “Light, goldensugar and tropical fruits, followed by subtle spices and beach aged hints ofvanilla, rum cake and gentle oak.” The Body of the rum is, “Fresh, smooth, andclean.” And the Taste is described as a “Classic light Caribbean rum with hintsof golden sugar, tropical and dried fruits, mild spice, gentle vanilla andbread pudding.”
- 10 fresh mint leaves
- ½ medium to large lime cut into 3 wedges and divided
- 2 tablespoons of white granulated sugar
- 1 cup of ice
- 6.8 ounce bottle of Fever Tree club soda
Instructions
- You will need a MUDDLER, tablespoon, measuring cup or additional glass for ice, a 1.5 ounce jigger, knife and a 10-12 ounce STURDY glass. The bartender’s muddling tool is used to crush fresh herbs and fruits to help in releasing their unique flavors and oils
- (If you do not have a muddling tool, you can crush the mint, lime juice, and sugar with the back of a wooden spoon instead.)
- -Place mint leaves and 1 lime wedge into a hardy and substantial, 10-12 ounce preferred drinking glass, crush ingredients together with the muddler
- -Add the remaining two lime wedges and 2 tablespoons of sugar, and muddle ingredients for a second time, do not strain the mixture
- -Fill glass almost to the top with ice
- -Pour in your pre-measured rum
- -Fill the rest of the glass with club soda
- -Stir with sugar cane stick and ENJOY !!!
Notes
– I made a gallon glass jar of enticing mojitos to imbibe with our sweet and savory racks of BBQ ribs, for a party of eight people, and there was not a single drop of libation left at the end of the evening!
Nor any flavorful ribs, I might add! CHEERS!
