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Come Party With Me: Independence Day - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:45:03 -0700

On a hot day, there's nothing quite like a tall glass filled with a tart mojito. Although the drink was created in Cuba in 1943, it's now considered a classic cocktail by America's top bartenders.

Since it's one of my favorite Summer sips, I'm serving them at my Independence Day party. While there's plenty of variations, from cherry to mango, I'm serving the traditional rum, lime, and mint version. The party is sure to last several hours, so don't forget to stock up on beer, soda, and wine.

For the mojito recipe, read more.

Mojito
From Gourmet

Ingredients

1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 lime
3 sprigs mint
1.5 ounces light rum
soda water

Directions

Put the sugar in a highball glass, squeeze in the juice of 1/2 small lime, and toss in the squeezed lime shell.
Muddle for a moment with mint sprigs, add the light rum and handful of fine ice, fill with chilled soda, and relax.

Makes 1 drink.

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Come Party With Me: Engagement Party - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:50:07 -0700

While some parties - like a bedazzle bonanza - require nothing more than a neverending flow of bubbly, others - like a Latin-themed engagement - scream signature cocktail. When selecting a signature cocktail, be it for your engagement or wedding, it's best to choose a drink that's easy to make in batches, matches your theme, and represents your personality as a couple.

When I was planning Ronda and James's engagement, sangria was the first drink that popped into my head. However, I came across this recipe for pomelo-mint mojitos. Although it makes one drink, I will increase the proportions to make a big pitcher.

To look at the refreshing recipe, read more.

Pomelo-Mint Mojito
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

4 peeled sections of pomelo or grapefruit, chopped
6 mint leaves
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate or orange sorbet
1 1/2 ounces white rum
Ice
Club soda
1 lime wedge

Directions

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the pomelo with the mint and orange juice concentrate.
Add the rum and ice and shake well.
Pour into a highball glass. Top with club soda and garnish with the lime wedge.

Makes 1 drink.

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Do You Own a Muddler?

partysugar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:50:56 -0800

Mine is from The Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim's bar line!

Come Party With Me: Super Bowl - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:30:16 -0800

When I think of the Super Bowl one drink comes to mind: beer. If you have a large crowd coming, consider getting a keg of your favorite beer. A keg should be ordered several days in advance and picked up the morning of the game. If your group is small, stock up on an assortment of brews and plenty of ice. To get the party going, make Jell-O shots. When guests arrive hand them a gourmet, mojito-flavored Jell-O shot. Instead of using the classic powder to make the shot, this recipe calls for gelatin, rum, and simple syrup. Start making the shots several hours before the game as they'll need time to set. Sound fun? Get the recipe when you read more.

Mojito Jell-O Shots with White Rum and Fresh Mint
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons plus 3/4 teaspoon powdered unflavored gelatin (from 3 envelopes)
1 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup lightly packed mint leaves
1 cup white rum

Directions

In a small saucepan, cook the water with the sugar over moderate heat until the water is simmering and the sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle the gelatin over the sugar syrup and whisk constantly over low heat until the gelatin has dissolved, about 1 minute.
Put the lime juice and mint leaves in a medium heatproof bowl and pour in the sugar syrup. Let steep for 15 minutes.
Stir in the rum. Strain the mojito mixture into a large measuring cup, pressing on the mint leaves with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.
Arrange 30 small paper cups on a rimmed baking sheet. Carefully pour the mojito Jell-O mixture into the paper cups and refrigerate the shots until they are chilled, about 3 hours. Serve cold.

Serves 10.

Make Ahead: The Jell-O shots can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

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Happy Hour: Lemonade Mojito

YumSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:30:45 -0700

The other day, I cohosted a barbecue so, of course, I served a signature cocktail. As an added challenge, the barbecue was actually a baby shower, and the guest of honor was pregnant. So I searched for a recipe that would be just as refreshing without booze as with it.

I dug this recipe out of my recipe file, ripped out of InStyle magazine years ago and just waiting for its moment. It's great for big groups since it can be made in large batches, and I like that it uses vodka instead of the usual rum, since I have a lot of friends who find rum off-putting. It's very tart and sufficiently sweet, and without the vodka, it's just a minty homemade lemonade. To get the recipe, read more.

Lemonade Mojitos
InStyle magazine

Ingredients

1/2 cup mint leaves, plus mint sprigs for garnish
1 cup sugar syrup (recipe follows)
5 cups club soda
4 cups vodka
4 cups fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup superfine sugar

Directions

To make the sugar syrup, heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water over low heat, stirring with wooden spoon until sugar has dissolved. Stop stirring and increase heat to medium. Simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool; refrigerate 2 hours before using.
In large bowl, muddle 1/2 cup mint leaves with sugar syrup.
Stir in club soda, vodka*, lemon juice, and 2/3 cup superfine sugar. Chill.
Pour into ice-filled pitchers with lemon rounds and mint sprigs; serve in tall glasses.

* To make a nonalcoholic batch of lemonade, reserve the vodka and add 1 1/2 ounces to each glass before pouring.

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Happy Hour: Piña Colada Mojito

partysugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:00:46 -0700

The other day while searching for the ultimate piña colada recipe, I came across this recipe for a piña colada mojito. Intrigued, I decided to find out how lime and mint combine with pineapple and coconut. The final result was absolutely divine, a refreshing mix of tart, sweet, and creamy flavors. Since it's not blended, this cocktail is much lighter than the common piña colada, making it easier to drink a couple rounds. The ingredient list calls for both pineapple and coconut rums, but I used pineapple and regular rum because I wanted a less sweet variation. To learn how to make this tantalizing concoction, read more.

Piña Colada Mojito
From Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

1/4 lime, cut into 4 pieces
8 fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons raw cane sugar
1 cup crushed or chipped ice
1 tablespoons Mint Syrup, recipe follows
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon pineapple juice
2 tablespoons pineapple flavored rum
2 tablespoons coconut flavored rum
Splash seltzer water
Sugar cane sticks, for garnish
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish
Mint Syrup:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 cup packed fresh mint leaves

Directions

Place lime pieces in a 12-ounce glass and top with mint leaves and cane sugar. Using a muddler, crush the lime pieces while bruising the mint with the sugar.
Fill the glass just below the rim with the ice. Add the mint syrup, coconut milk, pineapple juice, pineapple rum and the coconut rum.
Use a shaker to vigorously shake the contents of the glass together for at least 30 seconds. Pour the mojito back in the glass, and top off the glass with seltzer water. Place a sugar cane stick in each glass and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve immediately.

Makes 1 drink.

To make the mint syrup:

Place the sugar and the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to help dissolve the sugar.
While the syrup heats, rinse the mint leaves to eliminate any dirt.
Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the syrup from the heat, and dump the mint leaves into the saucepan. Allow the syrup to cool for at least 1 hour before straining out the mint. Store the syrup in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Syrup will keep, refrigerated, for several weeks.

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Cool and Creamy Frozen Mojito Cakes

partysugar — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:00:34 -0700

When I saw the recipe Yum found for frozen mojito cakes, I knew I had to make them. A cross between key lime pie and a mojito, these individual cakes are everything you want in a summer dessert. They are sweet yet tart, cold but creamy, and downright delicious.The pretzel crust adds a salty flavor and crunchy texture. It's a scrumptious alternative to the classic graham cracker crust that I will definitely experiment with in the future. To get the ideal-for-entertaining recipe, which happens to be from the current issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine, read more.

Frozen Mojito Cakes
From Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

Ingredients

2 sticks (8 ounces) butter
3 cups salted pretzels, finely crushed
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons sugar
Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
Grated peel of 3 limes, plus 1/2 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons white rum
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, plus sprigs for garnish
2 cups heavy cream

Directions

In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the pretzels and 2 tablespoons sugar and cook until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.

Press about 2 tablespoons into the bottom of each cup of a 12-cup muffin pan. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Mix in the remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar on low speed, then gradually mix in the lime peel, lime juice, rum and chopped mint.
In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into the cream cheese mixture.*

Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly among the muffin cups; smooth the tops. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.
To serve, run a wet knife around each cake, then invert the pan onto a clean work surface. Set each cake upright and top with a mint sprig.

Serves 12.

*During this step, I stirred in a few drops of green food coloring.

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Come Party With Me: Fourth of July - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:15:54 -0700

When searching for fun red, white, and blue cocktails to serve at a Fourth of July barbecue, I was disappointed by the uninspiring results: most were colored blue with the artificial tasting blue Curacao. However, with a little creativity one can offer guests delicious, patriotic-colored cocktails in the form of a mojito bar. The classic mojito is white, a raspberry mojito is red, and a blueberry mojito is blue. Set out a recipe, all the ingredients, several muddlers, and glasses and invite guests to make their own cocktails. Depending on your preferences, also offer guests a selection of beer, wine, waters, and lemonade. For the red and blue mojito recipes, read more.

Raspberry Mojito
From Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine

Ingredients

Handful fresh mint leaves
3 whole fresh raspberries
Juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons sugar
Ice
1 1/2 ounces spiced rum
Splash club soda

Directions

In a highball glass, muddle the mint, raspberries, lime juice, and sugar.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice; add the rum and shake for 15 seconds. Pour into the glass and top with the club soda.

Makes 1 drink.

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Blueberry Mojito
From Tyler Florence

Ingredients

For the Ginger simple syrup:
1/4 cup grated fresh ginger
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup cold water
For the Mojito:
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 lime, cut into wedges
20 to 24 fresh mint leaves
4 ounces ginger simple syrup
4 ounces vodka
5 ounces club soda
Ice cubes
Blueberries, for garnish
Mint leaves, for garnish

Directions

For the Ginger simple syrup: peel and grate the ginger and add it, together with the sugar and cold water, to a saucepan.
Bring it to the boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Cover and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain and cool in the refrigerator when done.
For the Mojito: add the blueberries, lime wedges and fresh mint leaves to the glass (or pitcher). Muddle with a wooden spoon so the blueberries are broken and the mint and lime release their juices and flavor. If assembling pitchers you can cover them at this stage and leave in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, add the simple syrup, vodka and top off with club soda. Give it a quick stir and then pour into glasses with ice cubes. Garnish with a handful of fresh blueberries and a sprig of mint.

Serves 2.

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Happy Hour: Cherry Mojito

partysugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:00:09 -0700

Inspired by the success of YumSugar's mango mojito, I decided to experiment with my own cherry variation. It was wonderfully delicious and everything you expect a good mojito to be: refreshing, light, and not to sweet. The key is to use fresh squeezed lime juice and perfectly ripe berries. The recipe makes enough for a crowd, so this cocktail is excellent for Summer entertaining. I highly recommend that you take a look at the recipe, please read more.

Cherry Mojitos
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice (about 9 limes)
3 pounds dark cherries, such as Bing or Burlat, pitted
2 1/4 cups best-quality black cherry or plain vodka*
1 (750 ml) bottle sparkling water

Directions

Bring sugar and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool completely. (Makes about 2 cups syrup.) Syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 month.
Put lime juice into a medium nonreactive bowl. Halve 2/3 of the cherries; add all cherries to lime juice. Stir in syrup. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to overnight).
Stir cherry mixture and vodka in a large serving bowl.
Fill 12 glasses with ice. Spoon 1/2 cup cherry-vodka mixture into each glass.
Top with sparkling water; serve immediately.

Serves 12.

*I used plain vodka.

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Happy Hour: Easy Mango Mojito

YumSugar — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:00:51 -0700

When the weather gets warm, I crave mojitos, but ordering one in a crowded bar makes bartenders groan. This bane of a bartender's Summer existence is also very time intensive to make at home, since you have to muddle mint, juice limes, and make simple syrup.

I've also noticed more bars offering mojitos with muddled mango, which are even more trouble to make. Since I love them so much, I came up with this shortcut version of a mango mojito that requires very little effort and fewer ingredients. To get the recipe, read more.

This totally simple Summer cocktail uses store-bought mango puree and lime-flavored sparkling water. It needs just a little bit of muddling. If you have fresh mango at home, you can use a slice as garnish, but it's not required. Since this mojito contains no additional sugar or simple syrup, it's not too sweet and very refreshing.

Easy Mango Mojito
Original Recipe

Ingredients

6 to 8 fresh mint leaves
1 oz. light rum
1 oz. mango puree
Ice
1/4 cup lime-flavored sparkling water
Mint sprig for garnish

Directions

Drop the mint leaves into the bottom of a sturdy glass and cover with 1 ounce of rum. Let it sit for 1 minute to allow the mint leaves to soften.
Using a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon, coarsely muddle the mint leaves so that they are broken into large pieces.
Add 1 ounce mango puree and stir vigorously.
Drop 3 to 4 ice cubes into the glass, then top with lime sparkling water.
Garnish with mint sprig and serve.

Makes 1 cocktail.

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