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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Rhubarb Mojitos

A little piece of advice, when experimenting with cocktail recipes start with the non-alcohol version if you still want to be able to take photos by the time you get it right. I learned this the hard way with a margarita post last year. This year I started this project without the rum and slowly added it in once I had perfected the other flavors. The good thing about this approach is that I can tell you this flavor combination makes a great non-alcohol version as well. My original thought in making this drink was that the rhubarb syrup would replace the lime altogether. I was afraid the lime would overpower the Rhubarb, which it did when I added the full amount. Without the lime it felt like there was something missing, so in the end I added just a bit, a squeeze. The Rhubarb added a whole new dimension to the Mojito. I wasn't really sure it would make a huge difference, so I was really amazed when I took the first sip. If you are a fan of sweet/tart combinations, this is going to be your favorite drink this summer. One thing I did notice is that after the drink sat for a while it started to lose the pink color, so it might not be the best drink to make ahead of time or in large batches if you want to keep the vibrant pink color of the rhubarb. There are a lot of recipes for Mojitos out there and a lot of methods for making and drinking them. Feel free to share your tips and tricks in the comments section. This is the way I like to do it.

Rhubarb Mojito
this recipe makes one 16 ounce drink with ice

crushed ice in two additions
6-8 mint leaves (I like to tear the leaves before placing them in the glass)
2 ounces Rhubarb simple syrup
one squeeze of fresh lime juice from a small slice
2 ounces white rum
3 ounces club soda

*Disclaimer- I am a huge lightweight, adjust recipe to your preferences.
In a 16 ounce glass place a small handful of crushed ice (I use my blender to crush the ice), mint leaves, and rhubarb syrup. Using a muddler crush the ice with the mint until the mint is broken into small pieces. Sometime I actually use scissors to cut the mint into fine ribbons before placing it in the glass. This is probably not an acceptable method in the bar tending world, but I am not crazy about sucking up large pieces of mint. Add lime juice (go ahead and toss in the whole slice of lime if you like), rum, and club soda. Mix, taste, and adjust flavors to your liking. Fill the remainder of the glass with crushed ice. Mix with a straw until flavors are combined.
Alternate method: If you don't have a muddler you can place the small handful of ice, mint leaves, and rhubarb syrup in a blender, use the ice chop setting to break up the mint. You will have finer pieces of mint and most likely your drink will be a little muddier in color as the mint will discolor the syrup. It will still taste the same. Dump the contents of the blender into your glass and continue with the recipe above.

11 comments:

  1. Rhubarb mojito?! Seriously?!!! Sounds fab. Love sweet and sour together and LOVE mojitos in general. It's such a pretty drink too. Cool straws.

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  2. Looks tasty! I made my first batch of green rhubarb simple syrup yesterday using your recipe and have a red rhubarb batch draining right now. Am looking forward to trying rhubarb soda, and will also try this.

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  3. Oh my does that look delicious! I hope I can still find some rhubarb at the Farmer's Market tomorrow so I can make some simple syrup! How long does the simple syrup last?

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  4. Wow!!! love the idea. my first visit here and I not regret , is amazing.

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  5. Sweet and Crumbly- Thanks for your kind words. I think you can get the straws in a lot of places now, but I bought mine here: http://shopsweetlulu.bigcartel.com/

    Alaska Hippo- Hope you like it. So much Rhubarb this time of year in Alaska. Love it.

    Jen H- It will most likely last more than a month in the refrigerator. That is the longest I have ever kept any sort of simple syrup in the fridge without using it all up. It should last much longer than that though.

    Sylvia- I'm so glad you stopped by and liked it. Welcome. :)

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  6. You combined 2 of my fav things about summer -- so delicious!

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  7. This sounds delicious! I have been busy infusing vodka with my rhubarb. Regarding muddling, it's far more effective to muddle ingredients without ice. However, mint presents a problem because although the mint oils release with a very light touch, over muddling introduces bitter flavors that affect the mojito (not in a good way). If you want tiny mint pieces, you could lay the leaves on top of one another and roll them on your cutting board, then slice them thin, and again crosswise. With all of that handling, you wouldnt need to muddle at all. Just toss them in and add ice and the rest.

    Can't wait to try this!

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  8. I made a rhubjito about a month ago for some friends and they thought is was genius...as did I! I was shocked I hadn't seen anyone else do this. So I was pleased when I saw your post on foodgawker to know I was not the only one to enjoy the treat. It's so extremely refreshing and tasty!

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  9. Awesome. I just bought some fresh mint and rhubarb. This will be amazing.

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  10. Beautiful! Beautiful colors and contrast of flavors. I did a Mojito for the Spice Rack Challenge, but you have clearly topped mine with your delish rubarb syrup! Well-done!

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  11. Mmm! I'm also kind of a lightweight when it comes to alcohol, but I looove the contrasting flavors of margaritas and mojitos--I don't tend to mix my own drinks, but I think I'm going to have to pick up some of the last of the local rhubarb and some more mint and try this out. (I actually have a snow cone maker, too--I wonder how rhubarb mojito snow cones would taste?) Gorgeous photos, btw!

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