Tag

mint

Mint Mojito Martini

written by Ali

A mint mojito martini might become your go to cocktail for the summer. I’m lucky that my CSA (community supported agriculture) basket has included a steady supply of herbs so far this season. There was a hefty bunch of mint in the second week’s basket. At first, I puzzled over what to do with it. I considered making mint chutney, but the immersion blender is still MIA from the move. I contemplated chocolate and mint, but didn’t really have the time to get creative. I landed on dumping the mint leaves into a jar of light rum and walking away from it for a week. (I refrigerated the infused rum, just to stay on the side of food safety).

Once the mint had infused for a week, I pulled it out and took a taste. It was definitely minty. I strained the rum through a coffee filter into another jar so that it would be ready to go for future use. While a mojito is traditionally muddled mint with muddled lime, I opted to use my infused mint in this mint mojito martini, along with fresh squeezed lime juice and a touch of agave nectar. With a mint infused sugar rim, this mint mojito martini was perfect for sipping in the afternoon out on the patio.

Yum

Mint Mojito Martini

Ingredients

Infused Mint Rum

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup white rum

Mint Mojito Martini

2 ounces mint infused white rum
1 ounce agave syrup
juice from one lime
Ice

Instructions

Mint Infused Rum

Muddle the mint leaves and combine with the white rum in a small jar. Cover and refrigerate for a week. Strain through a coffee filter to remove the mint leaves and store in the refrigerator.

Mint Mojito Martini

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake and serve in a martini glass.
Serves 1. Enjoy!

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June 23, 2017 0 comment

Beverages

Mandarin Mojitos

written by Ali

Mandarin mojitos are my anecdote for the gloomy, depressing weather that we’ve had all season long here in my neck of the PNW woods. I understand that Portland has the distinction of being the most winter fatigued city in the US this year. I know that I’m certainly fatigued by the constant threat of ice and snow. It’s been so bad in the Columbia Gorge region that Hood River County’s Sheriff made veiled threats against Punxsutawney Phil’s life if he insisted on seeing his shadow. Yes – I know – only in Oregon. Still, I think that sheriff could have used one of my mandarin mojitos. It might have made him feel a bit sunnier when Phil did inevitably scurry away from his shadow and doomed us to six more weeks of winter.

Fortunately, citrus is in season. I love mandarin oranges and am always too tempted to buy large bags of them from Trader Joe’s where they languish in the cupboard because I forget to take them with me to snack on throughout the day. I’m trying to be better about that, and also decided I might as well use the stragglers in a cocktail. Thus, the mandarin mojito was born. I sort of resent having to buy mint from the grocery store, but it’s definitely worth it to mix up a pitcher of mandarin mojitos. You can sip and pretend it’s summer time that way. They are also great for when you just gave the blonde dog a bath the day before and then she goes out and tramps through the mud – just saying.

You might also pin the recipe and hold onto it for the first barbecue of spring, or the first sunny day, or the first day it’s warm enough to wear sandals. You can tell that these are all firsts I’m definitely longing for right now.

Yum

Mandarin Mojitos

Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar
5 - 6 sprigs of mint
4 limes, quartered
4 mandarin oranges, quartered
1 cup white rum
12 ounces club soda

Instructions

In a pitcher, layer the sugar and mint and muddle. Add the limes and mandarin oranges and muddle some more - try to get as much juice mixed into the mint and sugar as you can. Add the rum and top with club soda. Serve over ice with a sprig of mint and a quarter of the lime and a quarter of the mandarin orange.
Serves 4 - 5. Enjoy!

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February 10, 2017 0 comment

Beverages

Late Summer Melon Mojito

written by Ali

I keep thinking that the last of summer is surely around the corner. I’m ready for sweaters, pumpkin spice everything, and lots and lots of rain (it’s the PNW after all – shouldn’t it be raining already?). I know there is a change coming in the weather; I’m just impatient, that’s all. In the meantime, I figure if it’s going to insist on being in the mid-eighties, I might as well enjoy a last (maybe) summer cocktail or two.

It’s sometimes challenging to be in a family with food allergies. There’s a list of fruits, vegetables, and nuts that Clay is sensitive to, including melons. This means that anytime I buy a melon, I’m on the hook for finishing the entire thing. This leads to the purchase of about one melon per season. This year, I picked up a Galia melon from the farmer’s market. In addition to eating it as part of my lunch, I also saved a quarter of it for this mojito.

Somehow or another, I also managed to go the entire summer season without making a single mojito. I’m going to blame a much diminished liquor cabinet (our new kitchen doesn’t have space for much beyond the pantry basics), as well as limited access to mint. I’m keeping everything contained in pots, so my one mint plant has had to battle it out with oregano and chard. I didn’t realize anything could hold its own with mint, but the oregano has done a fine job.

Late Summer Melon Mojito
Serves One (but could easily be doubled)

¼ melon
3 sprigs mint
Juice from one lime
2 ounces white rum
Club soda

Combine the melon, mint, lime juice and rum in a cocktail glass and thoroughly muddle. Add ice and top with club soda. Enjoy!

September 16, 2016 0 comment

Uncategorized

Time for Iced Tea

written by Ali

We’ve had some warm days here of late in the PNW. A couple of days of eighty here and there, punctuated by some cooler days and rain. Even though we are currently living in a rental and I can’t go digging up the grass (as much as I’d like to), I’ve been busy gardening in pots. My last addition was a chocolate mint plant that I don’t fully trust not to climb its way out of the pot and colonize the yard. So be it – it will at least smell good.

I started to think that today would be a great day for iced tea, so did some pruning on the chocolate mint. The result was this lovely iced tea.

Chocolate Mint Iced Tea
Serves 4

4 or 5 sprigs fresh chocolate mint
4 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 lemon

Steep the chocolate mint in the boiling water for 5 minutes or until desired strength is reached. Add one teaspoon sugar and stir. Cool and then refrigerate until cold. Serve with slices of lemon.

May 8, 2016 0 comment