How to Make Mojtos for a Crowd
Plus we have arayes on the barbecue. You will love them.
The Dangers of a Mid-Week Holiday
I send this weekly newsletter on Wednesday.
Today is Thursday.
But Canada Day was Tuesday, though the holiday kinda started on Friday… so you can see my predicament.
As I sat down to pen this love note, supremely smug about how on top of things I am despite the fun and frolic that comes with a national summer holiday, I realized I’m not on top of it at all. I’m a day behind.
Normally I take Julia Child’s sage advice on these sorts of gaffs, but I feel I really must own up to it and offer a mea culpa.
This is what happens when you are professional drinker deep in the weeds of perimenopause. Don’t even ask me where my keys are.
Today’s Menu
Our poolside Canada-Day feast included all the easy breezy treats we’ve come to associate with summer cookouts – but with a twist.
Instead of traditional burgers, my sister made Lebanese arayes – highly seasoned ground meat baked in a pita.
Instead of ketchup and mustard, this Levantine street food called for cooling tzatziki (a departure from the customary tahini/yogurt sauce, but we’re Canadians, so multiculturalism is our jam.)
Instead of pasta salad, we opted for Tabbouleh, but since I am tomato-averse, my family swapped out the tomatoes for crunchy red peppers (same-same, right?)
Instead of potato salad, we stuck with the Middle-Eastern(ish) theme. I made a chickpea salad studded with preserved lemon, pickled turnip, and loads of herbs, all in a Labneh dressing.
For a little Canadiana, it is the Canada Day long weekend after all, we paired it with a Syrah from Niagara.
But we started everything off with a lively and refreshing Mojito
Big Batch Mojitos for a Crowd
I learned how to make a Mojito back in 2008.
I remember it because I was working at a swanky restaurant in the Financial District, and this became the “it” drink of summer.
I made dozens – nay, hundreds – of mojitos that season, carefully muddling raw sugar and lime pieces with mint until a pulpy syrup formed. It took approximately a bazillion minutes to make one hand-crafted drink.
But I’ll tell you what: when someone’s thirsty, the “hand-crafted” part loses its lustre. People will take speed and convenience over art and authenticity any day. Maybe that’s sad, but I don’t make the rules.
However, the mojito is an excellent cocktail – light, bright and fresh, with just the tiniest wink of sweetness. It should not be overlooked out of fear of wait and work, so I eventually figured out how to streamline the process without sacrificing quality.
I dare say I maybe even improved upon it, because muddling sugar with lime chunks and a handful of mint, leaves a bit too much to chance in terms flavour and balance.
And as anyone will agree, a poorly ratioed drink is a bad drink.
So when a Mojito was requested for the holiday apèro, I didn’t flinch I’d be stuck behind the bar while everyone else cannonballed the day away.