Bailamos Mucho, Y'all

Oh blogging world, how I have missed you!  It's been a crazy month.  My group and I finished up our research study (which won an award, by the way), I graduated from physical therapy school, my fiancé graduated from law school, and finally, we spent a week in Costa Rica.  More on my culinary adventures in Costa Rica later.

The title for this blog post comes from a former professor of mine.  We were in Guatemala, and she was translating a Mayan woman's description of a traditional Mayan wedding.  After the marriage ceremony, the couple and all of their guests dance and drink and eat for hours upon hours.  Instead of saying that in Spanish, my professor just said "bailamos mucho, y'all!"  I'm pretty sure that sums up my last month.

I'm thrilled to be back into a normal routine, and I have a list a mile long of all of the things that I want to write about for you!  So without further ado, I present to you the return of Miss Gringa!  I'd like to kick things off with a refreshing summer beverage; something that truly captures the essence of the title of this post:

{Mojito}

Mojitos are a traditional Cuban highball.  You'll find these all over the Caribbean, but the actual birthplace is Cuba.  They've become quite trendy recently in posh cocktail bars in the States.  Unfortunately, most American places serve far from the authentic.  You'll see peppermint schnapps instead of mint leaves, Sprite instead of sparkling water, and worst of all, syrup instead of sugar cane.  I've found one authentic mojito before, and it was $14 in South Beach.  Here's a way to enjoy it, authentically and affordable, at home!

Ingredients:

 

1 teaspoon cane sugar

2 tablespoons lime juice (squeeze half of a lime and throw in the leftover wedges)

2 tablespoons Rose's sweetened lime juice

4 mint leaves

2 oz. white rum

2 oz. club soda

sugar cane

mint sprig

(Note: You can substitute 1 tablespoon of cane sugar and 4 tablespoons of lime juice for the first three ingredients.)

Directions:

Combine first six ingredients into a plastic pitcher.  Do not attempt this in a glass pitcher!

Muddle everything together.  A muddler is best for this, but if you're like us and registered for one but aren't getting married for a few months, a pestle from a mortar and pestle, a potato masher, or a mean pounder will do.

You want to make sure you squeeze everything you can out of those lime wedges and mint leaves.  The more flavor, the better!  The club soda may bubble a bit while you're doing this, but that's okay.  Just make sure you're not muddling so vigorously that your pitcher overflows.

Fill highball glasses with ice and pour.  Garnish with a stick of sugar cane (if available) and a sprig of mint.  Enjoy!

How cute are these?

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