This is the first time that I've ever heard a cocktail channel mention different varieties of mint. I've always wondered, but never asked, so, thank you. Could we please get an episode about different lime, lemon, grapefruit etc? Cheers.
We grow 5 types of mint as our house. Honestly the only mint you need for cocktails or cooking is the standard spearmint variety. The other ones really aren’t intense enough for those applications. I like apple mint for raw use in salads. Peppermint isn’t very useful in my opinion, you’re better off using peppermint extract for things like hot chocolate and such.
As someone who has also fallen prey to strict traditionalism behind my own bars this is good to hear others also keeping their minds open to variations of the classics. Cheers!
I made a mojitos with dark rum, white sugar and the green bottle lime juice, it wasn’t perfect but it worked. In Cuba due to shortages it’s common to make a mojito with 7UP or Sprite. Like you said as long as it tastes good, who cares.
Love the intro here! Seeing you call back to your earlier videos and point out your own growth out of being a bit snooty about "the one true recipe" is fantastic, because we all need to learn that lesson! And your Mojito examples are a great illustration of the different approaches and the reality of there "no right way". Great stuff!
Would you consider a caipirinha, Mojito, mint julep, gin and tonic, dark and stormy, or a Cuba libre tiki drinks? Also, what would you say is required for a tea drink when crafting your own?
To avoid the vegetal flavors that come with muddling mint I first muddle the lime with the sugar then add the mint with the rum and syrup along with the ice, shake, and strain into glass. You'll still get the mint oils but without the swampy flavor you get from muddled mint.
It's been a while since you've forgotten something. Good to see you going back to tradition. LOL! I like the seeing variations, gives me a different way of going about the drinks I may not have thought about. Thanks!
In Porto Portugal, a bartender made my mojito with white Diamond rum, it was the best mojito I’ve ever had. Fresh mint, good brown sugar, and was just masterfully created.
Great episode Leandro! Never tried the sugar cube and simple mix but absolutely love a killer mojito! My “go to” in summer! Definitely giving it a go! Cheers mate 🤙🏼
Hey Leandro! I'm so happy you just uploaded this video, as lately I've been asking bartenders in Spain and Portugal (where I just went on vacation) and they all tell me that the Mojito is done using spearmint, not "pure" mint. As every american (even cuban) video I've watched talks about "mint" it was driving me a lil bit crazy. What is your favorite type of mint to use (the one from your original recipe video)? Best regards!
In my experience, when just "mint" leaves are called for, I just assume that the person is talking about peppermint leaves because its got a much punchier flavour and has way more menthol (minty-ness), this is usually preferable for letting the flavour of the mint stand out in cocktails that have a bunch of ingredients that are also usually strong. For a mojito though, spearmint might actually be an interesting idea, since the more subtle, nuanced flavours that different varities of spearmint have probably can still shine through a lot better.
Underrated? I used to work behind a bar and every 3rd or even 2nd drink ordered was usually a mojito, and yeah when You're making them at home its not annoying to make at all, but when You're behind a bar on a busy night its a nightmare lmao
@@juanbarb57 Exactly. As soon as one person ordered one, everyone wanted one. Next thing you know, you’re making twelve. It got to the point where I just started making mint syrup. It turned an eight-step drink into a three-step drink. Then I was able to pump them out no problem.
I love the break down Leandro, The different ways of building and thinking about this classic cocktail gives us a lot of different options to find that perfect individual drink. That and I love to see you experiment :)
If no one would have ever started experimenting with cocktail recipes, we'd had exactly one cocktail. The Cocktail. Ok, and maybe the Old Fashioned and the Mint Julip, but you get my point. Plus, I believe every bar tender should at least have one signature drink of his own, which will be in most cases an interesting variation of an existing drink. Currently working on mine, which is an variation of an Old Fashioned, swapping the Angostura for a German bitter herb liquor (most famous one of those is Jägermeister, although I've never tried it with this specific spirit. Still need to). Ain't perfect yet, but the concept is intriguing, I think!
Question...for your favorite one did you add soda water or club soda and not like it? The reason I ask is because your favorite doesn't produce a high yield of juice. Basically half the glass is juice and the other half is ice. I would imagine topping it off with club soda wouldn't be that bad. Just a thought.
More often than not when I’ve ordered mojitos at a bar/restaurant, they skimp on the rum and the mint; resulting in a very watered down and bland drink.
For me the second recipe is best. When working in bar that have to smash out mojito’s. They tend to pre cuts the lime wedges. I feel you get a inconsistent amount of juice in each drink as it drains out during the shift. Where 30ml nails it each time. Great channel by the way.
I like using 3 oz white rum, 1.5 oz fresh lime juice, 1 oz simple syrup, and 10-12 mint leaves…put it all in a shaker, no muddling; fill the larger tin a third of the way with crushed ice; make sure you have a good seal, and shake for 20 seconds or until the tins are frosty. Then dirty poor into your glass of choice. No soda water/club soda. Garnish I’d you want, I do not-don’t want to waste the mint.
They’re basically all balanced the same but the textures change. Occasionally, I’ll up the non liquor components like extra mint, simple and lime…and though ppl like my mojitos when I taste test them I just don’t enjoy them. Not my drink. However juleps work for me even though they’re arguably less complex. Idk
Hmmm. I was expecting to be wowed by at least one of these, but came away a bit disappointed. 1&2 aren't muddled nor much mint. Should always be crushed ice & fresh lime wedges for maximum limeness, and imo soda too. The last one was ok tbf baffled by the sugar cube logic tbh, and shaking with crushed without straining means you're sucking up shards of ice 😔
Having grown different mints in the past in containers, the line about different mints tasting different is so, so real. Chocolate mint ended up being my favorite. It would be the one I grew again if I had the time and patience to keep it watered and alive. Apple Mint I found to be the lightest of the 4 I planted in the pot (chocolate, spearmint, peppermint and apple). I laughed a bit when it tasted exactly like double mint gum. Spearmint really isn't that intense compared to chocolate or peppermint. It also suffered the most from being so close to peppermint. Peppermint is one aggressive plant. I made the mints into syrups at the end of the growing season.
Tried all three yesterday. The second one was great but after tasting the third one, I can’t go back. Those lime oils and bitter compounds add a lot to this cocktail. The club soda is also very unnecessary (unless you are sipping one on a hot beach).
I am sorry but if you don't use real brown sugar, is NOT authentic to me, sugar cane as much as plantains (yeah sadly we are called banana republic for a reason) are cornerstones of the caribbean life, to not use them is just... NO
i used to use wayyy to much soda in my mojitos, wanting to make a long drink that lasts longer for drinkers wanting something to sip on for a while in summer. but nowadays i make mine with: 2 parts white rum, 1 part lime, 1 part 1:1 simple, 1 part soda, muddle lime and top with aged rum float. the former is still nice, but the latter being way more concentrated with flavour and sweetness and customers finish their cocktails faster and order them more frequently.
i was the same way i but i found that this is the best ratio for me, however i recently started using sugar cubes and just a pinch of salt and i like that as well
My preferred way. Zest your limes, add the Zest into a bag with sugar. Let that soak over night. next day make your simple 2:1 with the lime zest sugar. In your Boston shaker 5-6mint leaves, 3/4oz lime, 3/4oz lime simple sugar 2oz rum, small pinch more like a dash of salt, fill tin 3/4 with ice, shake 8-10 seconds, double stain, in a highball with fresh ice garnish with mint and a lime wheel.
Have to agree with that previous snippet you showed, bourbon doesn’t belong in an old fashioned. Rye is where it’s at. That being said, I am Canadian and our whiskey is just better than American 😁
I build mine in the glass. Muddle the mint, lime juice, and sugar. Then add the rum and top with soda water. I do like the idea of shaking and I also love the addition of muddling the lime wedge to get those oils. Might have to switch up my standard technique.
Slappypoo and crushypants is literally the best bit of any of your leaves vids 😂👌🏻 great info, lovely cocktails! Sir Francis drake sailed from my city and we have an island here called drakes Island. We should be making this drink our city staple.
I usually put half a lime (cut) into the glass, add some white sugar, some additional fresh lime juice and a few leaves of mint. I proceed to muddle it just a little bit, add ~5cl of white rum, fill the glass with crushed ice and give it a good stir. After that I top it off with just a little bit of soda water and garnish the drink with mint and a lime wedge. I actually didn't know the approach of shaking the ingredients, I might give it a try soon.
Thanks for the video, but I have been seriously wondering for a bit. I have been really wanting to use more fresh citrus in my cocktails but I never seem to get an decent yield from any of the limes I use. Seems like bartenders online seem to get more than enough out of one or two limes to make a drink where I am barely getting an 1/4oz out of an entire lime. I think I am pressing it enough given most of the capsules inside have broken. Is it my choice in lime, I only really have one choice where I live though and that is just a Persian lime if I remember correctly.
Had a bartender look at me the other day and ask me if I’d ever made a mojito before, after I’d made one with simple syrup, light rum, mint and soda. Looked and tasted delicious! But he proceeded to show me the “correct way” after tasting mine looking unimpressed. It was quite snobby lol. Love to see a fellow bartender out here embracing all of the different ways to make a good cocktail! Thank you for the vibes. 💚
Try the third version with cachaça instead of white rum. I call it a Caipirito! Bonus points if you use a raw sugar like demerara or turbinado. I really like the funk you get from the cachaça!
Years ago I workshopped the mojito using various techniques and rums and sugars for days. Your is close to what I ended up as my take on it. Same rum, techniques, with peels,mint, unstrained/filtered. but instead of syrup and sugar cube I just use cane sugar and a longer muddling time so some of the cane sugar dissolves and the rest during drinking.
Thanks for the discussion on the evolution of thinking from “right vs wrong” to “good vs bad.” Too often, the thinking is that right = good, but questioning that assumption opens up the possibilities for improvement.
I have taken a liking to Leandro’s preferred. I use Wray & Nephews over proof white rum. I have also tried chocolate mint in place of spearmint and peppermint for really nice taste
@@TheEducatedBarfly so, aside from insulting one of your subscribers, do you actually have a response? Seems like you're being very gentle with the mint at first, but then not later. If I'm missing something, please educate me, as that is supposed to be the purpose of this channel.
Curious to ask this: when I first made a mojito for myself (I've since gotten better thanks to you), the drink tasted almost... hot? Like, the drink had a burn to it. Any thoughts?
I need to buy some rum. And fresh limes. I'm on the hunt for low sugar cocktails, as I need to limit carbs (but still like to drink occasionally). The second version looks like it would work with a no-carb sweetener. I have mint growing in my yard, too. Mojito-keto?
I can't wait to try each of these and appreciate the break from tradition. I've recently been a fan of a funky white rum like Wray & Nephew and demerara sugar.
Shake muddle? As in letting the shaking process to “muddle” the ingredients for you? If so then he’s already done a video about that, something along the lines of testing if you can over muddle mint. In the video he made a southside instead of a mojito but the idea is the same.
I’m not a bartender, never have been….I do make cocktails at home, though. And, I know my way around a well-stocked bar. That being said, it does annoy me when people use the term “vodka martini”. If you replace gin with vodka, it is no longer a martini. It would be like replacing tequila with rum and still calling the drink a margarita…if the base spirit is swapped out, it is no longer the same named cocktail.
I love your channel. A friend and I spent months perfecting the perfect mojito many years ago having been annoyed that such a great cocktail was so hit and miss from bars. This was before youtube had channels such as this to make stuff easy, so we just played and played and played. We made thousands over the years, including at our weekly mojito monday parties with friends. Its still the perfect mix. 1. Add 1/3 lime (cut into two wedges), two/three dessert spoons of 2:1 raw sugar simple syrup, about 8-10 mint leaves (ideally spear but as you say, whatever you can get) and 60ml of bacardi. 2. muddle gently with a wooden muddler - i give it around 8-10 medium pressure presses. 3. fill glass with crush ice, then use a cocktail spoon to pull through the mix through the cup. 4. top with soda - probably only about 100mls of soda or so. EDIT - oh and you need a straw to drink with and stir etc. Done.
I was taught in Cuba that to make a perfect mojito you have to make a really sugary and concentrated lemonade. Then, infuse a bit of rum with your spearmint and after about half an hour you mix your spearmint infused rum with the lemonade. That's your concentrate. For serving, you serve rum to taste and then fill with your spearmint/lemonade/rum mix. Do not drink more than 3 or 4 if you do not want to piss out.
