I love to make mojitos from scratch: simple syrup, rum, mint, lime, club soda. I usually twist or muddle the mint, but I always feel a little disappointed with the lack of mint flavor in my drinks.
What are your tricks for better mint flavor?
Don’t use simple syrup. Use superfine sugar. Add it to the mint before you muddle, and use a twisting motion to reduce the mint to a paste. The sugar crystals will rip the cell walls of the mint, releasing its essence into your drink.
Okay, I like where this is going, but how do you keep the paste of the mint from floating around in the drink and getting stuck in everybody’s teeth? That last time I made them and tried to increase the mint flavor, I really smashed and tore up the leaves and all it did was get in people’s teeth…do you strain it? Was I doing something wrong?
I’d strain it.
If you’re going to the trouble of making simple syrup, you can cook some mint leaves while you’re making that to make a minty-sweet syrup. Strain that, too.
I guess you could line the rim with crushed candycanes if you *really *want to amp the mintiness to 11.
Yup. I cook the mint leaves in the simple syrup to make mint syrup. Nom.
I do this as well. It seems the heat draws out some extra mint flavor. And I’ve had some damn good mojitos at South Beach in Miami. Yuca Restaurant, I’m looking at you.