The Invention of a New Blueberry Mojito

It's pictured above, and and this post will conclude with the recipe, but first some perspective: With a back yard full of mint and a penchant for rum and lime, I make a lot of mojitos. One of my favorites is called the Telluride Mojito, as written up in the April, 2001 issue of Food and Wine. http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/telluride-mojito. It is the creation of Colin Wells and Ian Gustin, who once tended bar at Swede-Finn Hall in Telluride,Colorado before later founding the successful cocktail mix enterprise known as Freshies. Here's a picture of their Telluride Mojito as prepared and photographed by Yours Truly:



I know! Most of us visualize mojitos where the mint is visible pretty much throughout. What struck me as most different about the Telluride mojito was that the obligatory mixture of rum, lime juice, powdered sugar, mint---and in this case bitters---were first strained. I found the best way to strain the mix was with the strainer accessory to my Cuisinart. If using one, rest assured that the result wont be lacking for mint flavor.

As it happens, another one of my favorite mojitos employs blueberries. This one I also got from Food and Wine, although it no longer appears on their website. As for most mojitos, you muddled the obligatory powdered sugar and mint with lime wedges and blueberries prior to adding rum and shaking with crushed ice. Then you'd place a couple more tablespoons of fresh blueberries into the bottom of a tall glass, pour in the mojito, and top with a splash of club soda. I must confess to really liking a mojito so chock full of solids, despite having to finish it with a spoon. With inspiration from Telluride, however, I decided to try a different approach. The result was a killer.

NEW BLUEBERRY MOJITO

1 1/4 cups blueberries
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
6 mint leaves, plus tips for garnish
Club soda
3 ounces light rum
crushed ice


With a mortar and pestle, muddle 1 cup of the blueberries with the sugar and mint until thoroughly mashed. Add lime juice and rum. Pour into a large glass and stir until consistently mixed. Then run through the strainer to a Cuisinart to properly liquify. Place the two tablespoons of remaining blueberries in each of two Collins glasses. Then fill the glasses to the top with crushed ice. Divide the strained blueberry, rum, lime, sugar,and mint liquid between the two glasses. Add Club soda until full. Garnish with mint tips. Serves 2.