BEST COOKING RECIPES

When you're entertaining
say sophisticates
Mojitos should be on your list. This refreshing cocktail of lime
mint and rum
which hails from Cuba
is the rage from coast to coast and everywhere in between. The mojito has been called the new cosmo.

"Of course
being a Latina
I am familiar with the mojito
said Carolina Buia, co-author,
Latin Chic: Entertaining with Style and Sass" (HarperCollins). "It is a favorite among socialites and designers
she continued.
When we went to shoot our photos for 'Latin Chic
' the mojito was the 'it' cocktail everywhere."

The "mojito
which means
to cast a little spell
has its roots in Cuba and rose to fame with the development of Bacardi rum on the island.


Good mint is essential for a great mojito
said Dennis Dalponte of Dalponte Farms, where he grows mint and has seen demand increase in the past two to three years.

One secret to a great mojito is muddling the mint and the lime. Muddling refers to combining ingredients in the bottom of a cocktail glass with an instrument that looks like a small baseball bat. It extracts the great oils and flavors of both. If you don't have a muddler, use the back of a spoon.

Further evidence of this cocktail's star-spangled status: The mojito plays a role in the new
Miami Vice" movie.


Mojito


12 fresh spearmint leaves

1/2 lime

2 Tbsp. simple syrup (mixture of 2 parts sugar to 3 parts hot water
chilled) or just sugar

11/2 oz. Bacardi rum

Club soda


Muddle mint leaves and lime in tall glass. Cover with simple syrup or sugar and fill glass with ice. Add rum
top off with club soda and stir well. Add crushed ice to tall glasses when ready to serve. Garnish glass with lime wedge and sprigs of mint.

Note: Can also be made by the pitcher.