This week has been pretty hellish, all things considered. I packed up most of my books. Movers took a bunch of my stuff and all of my wife’s gear, leaving a semi-barren shell of a place. I’ve been busting my ass to finish the cable analysis for my Swedish clients, leading to a stressed boss and a lot of data entry and very tedious review (and thankfully, no coding.) Upside on that: I solved a circuit analysis problem and eliminated a few cables from the big list of important ones. The TMJ is still plaguing me and between trading the Sealy for the futon, I’m not sure what part of me doesn’t hurt.
But things are looking up: the final master lists of all important cables have left my desk (three days late, but still - the lists are really final.) I write a security deposit check and sign a lease on the new garret apartment in lively, schwank Forest Park IL tomorrow. I got my Apple I replica kit from
Briel Computers - I am so looking forward to moving and setting up a dedicated workbench so I can put it together. Mainly, I’m looking forward to the end of the major stresses right now.
Tonight’s drink is a modern classic: the mojito. It’s a little labor-intensive but fresh ingredients make all the difference.
4 sprigs of mint
2 tsp. sugar
1 lime, halved
2 oz light rum
club soda
Muddle the mint and sugar in a beer mug. I used a highball glass because I have no beer mugs - I drink beer from imperial pints or from the bottle. Muddling requires a muddler, essentially a bartender’s pestle - grind the sugar and mint until it’s roughly pasty or mashed. Juice the lime into the glass and drop one half of the rind into the glass - this adds essential oils from the rind, the same way a bit of lemon peel is used. Add the rum and stir, then fill with ice and top with club soda. Make sure to stir before the ice goes in so the muddled mint doesn’t get into the ice - this is purely an aesthetic and ‘mouthfeel’ issue. You want the mint under the ice so your guest is only drinking the fluid and isn’t picking crushed mint out of their teeth. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Observations: Fresh ingredients make all the difference. If you’re making a bunch of these, get a lot of limes and mint. Superfine bartender’s sugar may have a foaming agent in it which damages the aesthetics of the drink - my second try I used plain Domino granulated sugar and it worked out great, leaving no disturbing foamy head on the drink. Plan ahead and get a muddler - it looks like a tiny baseball bat or blunted hot dog. I understand Don Draper uses a muddler on a recent episode of Mad Men. The time spent muddling the mint is best used to talk to people; it’s a mindless activity and your guests are impressed that you aren’t just dumping mojito mix out of a jug (aside on premixed mixers - don’t. Don’t argue. Just don’t.)
Finally, the mint garnish adds a nice bouquet to the drink - don’t underestimate the value of aroma and presentation to the finished drink. A simple sprig of mint separates a $4 mojito from a $8 mojito; your guests are worth it.
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