Hello my Foodie Friends!
This Fourth of July weekend during Covid-19 restrictions will hinder but not stop our family and friends from getting together safely. Our gatherings will be more thought out and the right people will be with us. A toast or two will be made and what will you be holding? The drink I will be requesting is the Mojito! If you like Mojitos, and you’re like me, then they have to be made right. This is a classic summer cocktail and if it’s made correctly it’s delicious.
An essential tool to use to make a Mojito is a “muddler.” The muddler is basically a stick you use to smash ingredients into a bottom of a glass. It is used like a pestle to mash or muddle fruits, herbs, and spices. The classic muddler is a rod with a slight flare on one end and a flat surface or teeth on the other side. Both the flat surface and the teeth surface are appropriate for “muddling.” The purpose to “muddle” is to release fresh flavors to the liquid that will enhance your drink. Bartenders use a muddler to crush ingredients such as lemons, limes, and mint against the glass before pouring ice in. The muddler can also be used to stir a drink. Here are some tips of “muddling.”
• In most cases, the point of muddling is not to smash the ingredients into a messy pulp, but to gently caress the essence out of it and this is where a lot of new bartenders go wrong.
• Place your ingredients in the bottom of a cocktail shaker or mixing glass. Some cocktails are muddled directly in the serving glass as well.
• Gently press down and give a half turn of the muddler.
• Release and continue this motion until sufficiently muddled. This will generally take about 4-6 turns.
• Don’t muddle in a shaker that has a plastic bottom because they are prone to cracking, even under the lightest of pressure.
• Muddle before adding ice or you are just crushing ice, potentially over diluting the drink, and not properly muddling the ingredients that need it.
Ahhh…I love summer.
Being outdoors and enjoying fun times with family and friends (safely) creates those memories that last a lifetime.
This Fourth of July weekend, don’t get caught trying to “muddle your way through” making a Mojito without a muddler. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, Saratoga Springs’ true kitchen essentials store located at 33 Railroad Place to pick up the tools you need to make your weekend an enjoyable one! Remember; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” Happy Fourth of July!
Take Care,
John & Paula
