Mojitos Mojitos Mojitos!

The Mojito is quickly becoming a staple in your favorite restaurants and bars. The refreshing lime, mint and rum drink is the “it” drink of the summer. Hemingway first made it popular after becoming fond of the Havana treat in his travels. He named it his #2 favorite, a runner-up to his #1 favorite, the Daiquiri.

The drink has since popped up in “Sex and the City” and movies like “Miami Vice”. The Skipping Stone offers a Mojito Set, perfect for having a summer party. The beautiful hand painted glasses will transport you to Havana! And try the “Hemingway” Mojito recipe below.


INGREDIENTS:
· A collins (or highball) glass
· A muddler (or spoon)
· Crushed ice
· 2 oz fresh lime juice
· 4-12 mint leaves with stems
· 2 oz white rum (preferably at least 3 years old)
· 2 oz club soda
· 1 tsp powdered sugar
· 1 spring of mint


PREPARATION:
1. Put the mint leaves and the sugar in the bottom of the collins glass. Use the muddler (or the back of the spoon, if you don't have a muddler), to slightly crush the mint leaves. It should take about half a minute for the smell of mint to reach you.
2.
Add the rum and the lime juice. Mix again using either the muddler or the spoon.
3. Fill the glass with crushed ice.
4. Stir in the club soda.
5. Use the spring of mint as garnish.
6. NOTE: It's said that the majority of people like adding a dash of Angostura bitters to the mojito mixture. The bitters, though, were not part of the Bodeguita del Medio's mojito recipe that Hemingway drank. Also, some people use 3 ounces of rum instead of two, and even though almost all recipes use only 4 mint leaves, there's a great possibility the Bodeguita del Medio might have used more than four.