I wouldn't call myself a mixologist. But I've been known to rattle a shaker every now and then. And while I'm not the most knowledgeable cocktail geek, I do like to learn about knew drinks and try them out on willing guinea pigs. But, as it turns out, I'm something of a purist.
Last night I was watching a show on FoodTV, where Tyler Florence (who I wish would get hit by a bus. I don't mean so that he would die. Gently hit by a bus) made a drink that he called a ginger blueberry mojito. Nice, right? Alright, I'm with you Florence, you human speed bump. Keep mixing. We've got a pitcher with limes, blueberries and mint, muddled together, good, good. Ginger simple syrup, too much syrup by the way, but I'm still with you. Then he pours vodka in it. VODKA!?!?!?!? You heathen. You infidel. You apple-tini slurping poseur. You bad bartender. You do not put vodka in a mojito. It's Cuban. Jackass.
He said he did it because it has a "cleaner" flavor. Fine. I accept that. But it if doesn't have rum, it ain't a mojito. Since he did finish the drink with soda water, it can properly be styled a "fizz" or even a "rickey" given the sugar and limes, as they are a looser defined class of drinks. But not a mojito. You can't just slap any old name onto a drink, just because it's trendy. And don't even get me started on those apple-tinis.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
What the F!!!!! Vodka - heathen! Why even mess with a classic - leave the Mojiti be filks and for G's sake strain OUT the mint leave pulp - I hate bartenders who leave it in there - NO ONE wants shredded mint leaves stuck in their straw or worse in their teeth!!!
I went to some fancy schamncy party a few week back they had a "mojito car" I was SO excited - I que up and watch in HORROR as the so-called bartender puts in SOUR MASH and other assorted NON Mojito ingredients = it tasted nasty as hell. Since it was an open bar and free to me I guess I cannot complain TOO much except I did give him the dirtiest look I could manage after trying a sip.
Wait a minute. Sour mash?? Doesn't that make it a julep? And a julep should have tons of shaved ice. It won't taste right unless it's ice, ice cold. But even made right, it's still a julep, not a mojito.
Plus, when you're going to make the mojito in the glass you serve it in, rather than a proper shaker with a strainer, you should only be bruising the mint, not turning it into a pulpy mess. People, people, people. (she shakes her head sadly)
Post a Comment