Mojito with a dried lime wheel.
A good mojito is mostly restraint. Bruise the mint, do not shred it. Use enough lime to brighten, not so much that it turns to squash. Build it tall, top it soft, and let the crushed ice do the cooling.
Where it usually falls apart is the garnish. A fresh wedge jammed on the rim adds nothing but mess. A dried lime wheel laid on top of the ice looks the part and keeps its shape while the drink slowly waters down, which a fresh slice never manages.
What you'll need
- 50ml white rum
- 25ml fresh lime juice
- 20ml sugar syrup (1:1)
- 8 to 10 fresh mint leaves
- Soda water, to top
- 1 dried lime wheel
- Crushed ice
How to make it
- Put the mint, lime juice, and sugar syrup in the bottom of a tall glass. Press the mint gently with a spoon, just enough to wake it up.
- Add the rum and half-fill with crushed ice. Stir to lift the mint through.
- Top with more crushed ice and a splash of soda water.
- Stir once more, then mound a little extra ice on top.
- Lay a dried lime wheel on the crown and add a mint sprig if you have one. The wheel stays crisp and green while the drink mellows.
Why dried earns its place
Fresh lime garnish in a mojito is mostly habit. It bleeds a little juice, browns at the cut edge, and looks tired within minutes. The dried wheel gives you the lime green and the citrus oil on the nose without the mess, and it is still standing at the last sip.
Use the Lime jar, about 25 wheels, enough for a long, slow run of summer rounds.