“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is
blowing and mojito is in your hand.” – Bar Refaeli
Labor Day in America signals the end of summer. School starts, public
pools close and extended families gather for barbeques. Pool parties and
barbeques are great time to sip on tall, refreshing cocktails. The Mojito is
a classic Cuban drink that has seen a resurgence in popularity. Most Mojitos
are made using white rum. In today’s post, we’ll try an updated variation using
Tio Pepe Palomino Fino Sherry (www.tiopepe.co.uk).
Sherry is a fortified wine
made from white grapes in the Jerez region of Spain. The Palomino Fino Sherry
from Tio Pepe is a dry light variation with hints of almond, honey and apple. During
a recent tasting customers who sampled the sherry found that the almond taste
came through boldly. Fino is the driest and lightest of the types of sherry. It
is aged in barrels under a cap of yeast to prevent contact with air. The
alcohol content in sherry is higher than the average wine at 15% so adding this
to your Mojito mixture will provide extra punch to your cocktail.
The traditional Mojito is made using white rum, simple syrup,
mint leaves, lime juice and sparking soda. For the tasting I used the Tio Pepe
Sherry in place of the rum. Using sherry in the Mojito cocktail gave a slightly smokey and nutty flavor to balance the tartness of the lime. The muddled mint flavors came through
very nicely.
PositiveVines‘ HelpfulTip: Experiment with muddling your mint leaves. A muddler can be
purchased at any beverage store (it looks like a mini baseball bat). Some
mixologists recommend just slightly pressing on the mint to release the flavor and avoid getting any of the bitterness of the herb. Others prefer the full flavor of the mint.
Tio Pepe Palomino Fino Sherry is readily available in most wine
stores. It retails at $16.99 per bottle and I’ve seen it during summer months
on sale for $12.99. Pick up a bottle this week and start working on your Mojito
recipe. Impress the adults at your Labor Day barbeque with this versatile
island drink from Havana.
Remember to drink what it is that makes you truly
happy and always think positively!
Drink Responsibly!
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