Bourbon Mojito - A Classic with a Twist
I don't want to bore anyone with another mojito recipe, but honestly, if you think a mojito is boring, you're not doing it right. This picture was taken this evening....I tried to relax in the garden with this, but had to remove myself. Not just because the mosquitos started coming around, but because everywhere I looked, I found something to do. My hands smell like tomato plants right now because I just had to start trimming off those lower branches....
Faced with a lot of mint in the garden....no wait... it's really "a lot" x 1000, I had to do something. As anyone who has grown mint knows, it grows and grows and grows. I recently went too long without watering my garden and I thought my mint had perished. Nope. Just add water and wait a couple of hours - it's back and bigger than ever.
I've made mojitos before, but wanted to do something a little different with this one - instead of rum, I used bourbon. You may be thinking, "Isn't that a Mint Julep?" No, it's not. In fact, that's what I started with - I made a classic Mint Julep and I hated it. Truth be told, if I drink something like bourbon, it's got to be mixed with a LOT of things for me to enjoy it. I just can't stomach strong alcohol no matter the quality, but the recipe I ended up with for this, I really enjoyed.... a Bourbon Mojito. This recipe is adapted (with modifications) from one made on a television show put out by "Fine Cooking" called "Moveable Feast." It's actually a pretty decent show. I'm not really into watching many cooking shows, but this one grabs my interest most of the time. They travel around, meet local growers and chefs and make a meal for a group of people - usually in a scenic, interesting outdoor setting. I like that they feature local growers and businesses and showcase how important they are and what a difference they make in eating healthy meals with fresh ingredients.
Anyway, onto the recipe.
Ingredients
10 mint leaves + a sprig for garnish
1oz simple syrup
Juice of one lime
3 oz bourbon
Club soda
Directions
- In a rocks glass, muddle mint, simple syrup, and lime juice.
- Fill the glass with ice and add the bourbon.
- Top off with club soda and stir to combine the ingredients.
- Garnish with sprig of mint.
