Last Wednesday, my friend Stacey invited me to an event at The TD Garden in order to do a Bacardi tasting and a mixology class in making the perfect mojito.
In a private room at The Garden, before the Celtics were about to play the Spurs, we joined about 30 other people for a lesson on the history of Bacardi. Our first question from the âBacardi Grand Masterâ was âwhat do you think of when you hear Bacardi?â Lots of shout outs of the Caribbean, mixed drinks and sun vacations etc. My thoughts definitely go to a trip I had in the Bahamas where Bacardi Rum & Diet Coke was part of my daily diet.
Lined up in front of us were three brandy snifter glasses with different types and quality of Bacardi in each one. Never (apparently) stick your nose right into the glass when smelling Bacardi â itâs not wine! And, it will quite possibly make your eyes water â I know that now. Swirl the Bacardi around for a while to let the air in and the aroma open up. Next just hold the top of the glass close to your chin and gently sniff. The next step, of course, is to taste. Drink just a sip of the Bacardi and make sure it touches all of the taste points of you mouth from your tongue, cheeks and roof. Drinking straight Bacardi is far too overwhelming for me but it was a really fun experiment. The three we tasted were the Bacardi Superior, Bacardi Gold and Bacardi Solera. It is hard for me to pick a favorite because they are all just too strong to drink neat.
After our lesson from the Grand Master on the history of Bacardi (a bit too long I might add), and our tasting lesson we were ready to make the Perfect Mojito.
Ingredients
Serves 1 spectacular Mojito â make as many as you wish!
12 Fresh Mint Leaves
1/2 Lime cut into quarters
Ice Cubes
2 jigger measures of Bacardi Rum Superior1 1/2 measures of Simple Syrup
1-2 Splashes of Soda Water
Equipment
Jigger (liquor measuring thingy)
Muddler
Cocktail Shaker
Directions
Put the 8 leaves and all the lime quarters into a glass and press down about 10 times with a muddler. Do not twist the muddler. This is important according to the Grand Master, but I am not sure it will really matter that much in the end – I could be wrong, I am not “Grand Master!” Fill the glass with ice and pour over the Bacardi and then the simple syrup. Pour the mixture into the shaker and shake well. Pour back into the glass and add a splash or two of soda water.
Decorate with the rest of the mint leaves.
This truly was a superb, fresh Mojito that just tasted simply good. I think I have a new Summer drink. Bring on the Mojitos!
What a neat experience. i love a good mojito and yours look awesome!