Ginger mojitos
There have been a few requests for the ginger mojito recipe, and I’m happy to oblige. Keep in mind that I don’t have much experience mixing drinks, and any time I’m in the kitchen I go mostly on instinct and don’t measure very religiously, so feel free to adjust this to your own taste!
Firstly, the ginger-infused rum:
Place a whole ginger root (I used a piece the size of my rather large hand) on a baking sheet in a 450 degree oven; bake 35-40 minutes. The ginger will get a little bit leathery, like pirate skin. When it’s cool enough to handle, slice it all up and toss it in a pitcher. Pour a bottle of rum over the ginger and leave the pitcher in the refrigerator for two days. Strain out the ginger and the rum is ready for use.
Note: the resulting brew will be fiery with ginger. I like it that way. If you prefer a beverage that puts less hair on your chest, infuse the rum for a shorter amount of time or use less ginger. Or more rum. Arrrrrr.
Now for the mojitos, as pioneered by Mr. Garter, who was kind enough to mix up the first batch although he likes ginger less than I do. For a single serving, you’ll need:
Mint (as much as you like, but at least five or six leaves)
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp. turbinado sugar (or regular sugar if you prefer)
1 oz. ginger-infused rum (or regular rum, if you must have a mojito this minute)
ice
club soda
Drop the mint leaves into the glass and mash them vigorously against the side with the back of a spoon. Add the sugar and lime juice and stir the mixture to dissolve the sugar. Then add ice and pour the rum over it. Finally, fill the remainder of the glass with club soda. Give it all a good stir at the end, and garnish with more mint and even some chopped crystallized ginger if you want to be shoregoing fancy. Drink up! No scurvy for you!
Posted: August 1st, 2006 at 7:29 pm
if you put the sugar in with the mint, and use the spoon, you will get more “juice” out of hte mint. the sugar acts as a grinding agent, and also draws out the juice (ever put sugar on cut strawberries?). it will make for a mintier mojito. and that does sound quite tastey.
what’s a pirate’s favorite letter?
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
the pirate went to get his ears pierced. how much did it cost him?
a BUCANEER!
i’m leaving now
Posted: August 2nd, 2006 at 6:34 am
Wow – that sounds amazing, minus the hair on the chest 🙂 Did you see that Bacardi has put out a Mojito-flavored rum? I may need to go pick some of that up!! Wish you were here to enjoy one with me! Oh, and I think NYC is currently mired down in the heat that you west-coasters had a week ago or so. Man, 100+ degrees in the city is NOT fun.
Did I tell you – I’m going to see JK Rowling, Stephen King, and John Irving read tonight at Radio City!
Posted: August 2nd, 2006 at 7:33 am
Yummmmm… I’m dying to go home and start making ginger rum, but turning the oven on in 100 degree weather is not going to happen. Will the rum not become ginger-infused if incubated raw? Please help a thirsty girl!
Posted: August 2nd, 2006 at 7:44 am
Oh, yay! You’re the best! I’m sitting here, drooling- which is bad since, not only is it early in the morning, but I’m also at work…I’m looking forward to whipping up a batch of this ASAP! Yum! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Posted: August 3rd, 2006 at 8:17 am
Yummmm! Can’t wait to try it in all this heat!
Posted: August 4th, 2006 at 12:22 am
Yum! I can’t wait to try it. I’d like to try the mojito rum that Lisa mentioned also! Maybe not all in the same evening though…
Posted: August 4th, 2006 at 2:36 am
Arrr! I wants me a mojito!
Posted: August 7th, 2006 at 11:13 am
Ohh this sounds so good! I’ve been dreaming of mojitos ever since the temp reached 95 degrees!
Posted: August 12th, 2006 at 5:49 pm
ARrrrrrr Matie! Happy Birthday! I love Mojitos and the ginger infusion sounds all the more wonderful! If you could only see the amount of mint in my garden you might call it a “Mint Test Garden”. It all started because I wanted mint on hand for mojitos and then I over did it with trying to plant a range of varieties. So thanks for the new twist!