I used to enjoy preparing cocktails for friends when I was younger. Now I only do so occasionally.
One that I like very much is the mojito.
It is a Cuban cocktail that’s popular worldwide.
Two of the ingredients are very common where I live: lime and spearmint.
If you don’t have lime nor spearmint, feel free to substitute with lemon and mint.
I’ll show you how to make a mojito as close to the traditional one as possible, but with matcha.
I think that matcha gives this cocktail a good color, refreshing taste and even body.
It’s an option in case that you want to try something different.
Here’s the recipe:
- white rum, 2 oz
- matcha, 1 tsp
- soda, 2 oz
- half a lime
- sugar, 3 tsp
- about 8 spearmint leaves
- hot water, one ounce
- crushed ice
Cut a lime in half, then into wedges.
In a sufficiently wide glass, add the lime wedges and the sugar.
Muddle so that the lime juice is released.
Then you can add the spearmint leaves and muddle them lightly.
If you overdo it, the leaves will break apart and the cocktail may become bitter.
In a separate container, whisk a teaspoon of matcha with about an ounce of hot water.
Mix until there are no matcha lumps left.
Then pour the matcha, rum and soda into the glass.
You can further stir it so that the sugar dissolves.
If you want a lighter cocktail, use only one ounce of rum. Or you can skip the rum in case that you want to drink a mocktail.
Finally, top the glass with crushed ice.
Also note that if you leave the lime and spearmint leaves in the mixture for too long, they will further infuse and result in a bitter flavor.
So it’s best to drink the cocktail as soon as you serve it.
