Mojitos!

I absolutely LOOOOVE mojitos!  Any time I see these on the drink menu at a restaurant, chances are I will end up with one (or three).  I like regular mojitos, and I've also had some great flavored mojitos (mango mojitos, pineapple mojitos, coconut mojitos).  YUM :)

Anyways, I'm growing a pot of mint out on our deck this summer, and pretty much the reason for growing this mint is so that I would be able to make my own mojtos at home.  Well, the mint is growing like crazy so I finally bought a few ingredients so that I could make my mojitos.  I found this recipe on my go-to recipe site (allrecipes.com) and I was set to go.  I used my muddler that I use when I make guacamole, and these turned out delicious :)  They were a little time consuming to make so I would probably never make these if we had company over, but now I'm glad I'll be able to make these for me and Kevin this summer.

PS - My pictures may not be too great because I'm using pictures I've taken with my cell phone (although I have to say the quality is much better than what my old phone took), but I have waited way too long to update my blog so I figure cell phone pics are better than nothing!)

Ingredients:

10 fresh mint leaves (I actually used 11 or 12)
1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges
2 tablespoons white sugar, or to taste (I probably ended up with 2 1/2 tablespoons)
1 cup ice cubes (or as many will fit into your glass)
1 1/2 fluid ounces white rum
1/2 cup club soda (I used a little more - enough to fill the glass to the top)

Directions:

Place mint leaves and 1 lime wedge into a sturdy glass. Use a muddler to crush the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice. Add 2 more lime wedges and the sugar, and muddle again to release the lime juice. Do not strain the mixture. Fill the glass almost to the top with ice. Pour the rum over the ice, and fill the glass with carbonated water. Stir, taste, and add more sugar if desired. Garnish with the remaining lime wedge.