Mojitos are  the classic cocktail originating from Cuba. Now one of the most ordered cocktails. Shake up one of these refreshing drinks for your next get-together.

Classic Mojito
Makes 1 drink

3 large sprigs fresh mint
2 ounces white rum
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce Simple Syrup*
Splash of chilled soda water

Tear the mint sprigs and drop into a cocktail shaker. With a muddler, press the mint to release its flavors. Fill the shaker with ice. Measure in the rum, lime juice, and simple syrup. Cap and shake vigorously. Pour into a large glass. Top with soda water.

*Simple Syrup- one cup sugar and one cup water brought to a boil and cooled – keep refrigerated for up to 1 month.  © 2008 Kathy Casey Inc.

Peach Melba Mojito
This quick and easy mojito is made with my Dish D’Lish Mojito cocktail mix. You can substitute strawberry puree for the raspberry if desired.

Makes 1 cocktail

1 lime squeeze
2 oz Bacardi Peach Red Rum
2 oz Dish D’Lish Classic Mojito Cocktailor
2 Tbsp. raspberry puree
splash of soda water
Garnish: fresh mint sprig – fresh raspberry if in season

Squeeze & drop lime into cocktail shaker. Fill with ice. Add rum, Cocktailor and puree.
Cap and shake vigorously. Add soda water. Pour into a tall glass. Top with more ice if needed. Garnish with mint and raspberry if using and insert straw. © 2008 Dish D’Lish® Inc

Txori and Herbivoracious! We’re participating in a group review of Txori with Herbivoracious. Be sure to click the link to see what they have to say about this hot tapas spot!

Lately, it seems Spanish cuisine is popping up everywhere in my life. From being invited to a spanish cookbook release party and spanish olive oil tasting to most recently, a lunch with girlfriends at Txori, Seattle’s hip Belltown neighborhoods new restaurant featuring San Sebastian-style pintxos (little bites), wines, sherries and cocktails.

It is owned by Carolin Messier de Jiménez and Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez, who opened the Harvest Vine in 1998 and this newest gem just a few months ago. This dynamic duo certainly has a knack for finding small, intimate locations with lots of character — but then, they have lots of character themselves, and it comes through in all they do, from the interior to the tasty nibbles to the smart wines and cocktails.

We gals enjoyed about four dishes each — including pera a la plancha con valdeón (pear, blue cheese and walnut toasts) and tortilla española, the classic potato omelet with aioli (done perfectly!) — which made a splendid little meal. Be sure to check out the the daily offering of seasonal bites on the chalkboard. This great new bar-and-tapas snackery is just right for a light lunch or late-night sip and bite.

In love with this romantic cuisine — I was inspired to create a new cocktail. My Spanish Corrida Cocktail is enhanced with a splash of dry sherry and a smoked paprika-sugar rim, it is a perfect tapas-party or pre-dinner sipper.

Spanish Corrida Cocktail
Makes 1 drink

½ ounce dry Spanish sherry, preferably a Manzanilla
1 ½ ounces vodka
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
¾ ounce simple syrup*
Garnish: Smoked Paprika Sugar rim (procedure follows**)

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Measure in sherry, vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup. Cap shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into Smoked Paprika Sugar-rimmed martini glass.

Kathy’s Notes: This cocktail is also great made with an added squeeze of fresh blood orange.

* To make simple syrup, combine 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water in a small heavy pan. Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool. Bottle and store refrigerated until needed.

** To make a Smoked Paprika Sugar rim: Mix together 1 cup superfine or baker’s sugar with 2 teaspoons smoked paprika. Place mixture in a small deep bowl. Set aside. Slit a wedge of orange, lemon or lime halfway through. Slide the wedge over the rim of a cocktail glass, and press lightly against the rim as you slowly rotate the glass, moistening the outside of the rim. Then lightly dip the outside rim into the sugar, making a 1-inch-deep frost. (The goal is not to get sugar on the inside of the rim.) Copyright 2008, Kathy Casey Food Studios

Lizz Brooks wrote in recently ” I recently returned from Maui and while I was there I had a fabulous drink and would love to know how you’d replicate it. It was a Pineapple-Lemongrass Mojito at Tommy Bahamas. I’m guessing there was fresh pineapple juice,simple syrup,and white rum. It was garnished with fresh mint and a stalk of lemongrass. But, would it be as simple as that? It was so yummy, refreshing but not too sweet”.

Lizz, this sounds like a fantastic drink and should be easy to duplicate at home. First I would infuse the rum with fresh lemongrass:

In a glass jar add 1 1/2 cups (about 1/2 a 750 ml bottle) of white rum. Then rinse 1 stalk of fresh lemongrass, remove the outside layer and discard. Cut off the top 2″ and the hard end, and discard.Then cut the lemongrass through lengthwise and cut into 2-3″ pieces. Add to the rum. Cover and let sit for 2-3 days to infuse. Then strain out lemongrass and discard.

To make a cocktail:
2-3 large sprigs of fresh mint
1 1/2 – 2 ounces of Lemongrass infused Rum
1/2 ounce simple syrup*
3/4 oz pineapple juice
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
splash of soda water
garnish: fresh mint and a long piece of lemongrass if desired

In a cocktail shaker, muddle mint to press out the flavors with a muddler or end of a wooden spoon. Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Measure in rum, simple syrup, pineapple juice and lime juice. Cap and shake well. Then add a splash of soda (about 3/4 -1 oz) into shaker. Pour drink into tall glass. Garnish and enjoy!

Note: adjust simple syrup amount down if you like it less sweet.

*Simple Syrup – bring 2 cups water + 2 cups sugar to a quick boil, immediately remove from heat. Cool and store at room temp for up to 2 weeks.

I love herbs in cocktails! Fresh rosemary adds an herbalicious flavor to this citrusy cocktail. See my method below for making the rosemary sugar and creating a deep sugar rim on the glass.

Rosemary Grapefruit Drop

Makes 1 drink
Rosemary Sugar (recipe follows)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 1/2 ounces grapefruit vodka
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce Simple Syrup*
Garnish: fresh rosemary sprig
Rim a large martini glass (see procedure below) with rosemary sugar, and set aside.
Bend 1 rosemary sprig and drop into a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice. Measure in the vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Cap and shake vigorously. Strain into the sugar-rimmed glass. Float a rosemary sprig in the drink for garnish.
*boil 1 cup sugar with 1 cup water for 1 minute; then cool.
Rosemary Sugar
Makes 1 cup
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped
1 cup superfine or baker’s sugar
Mix the rosemary and sugar together, and spread the mixture on a rimmed baking sheet. Set in a warm dry place, until the rosemary is completely dried – about 3-4 days. Process in a food processor until finely ground. Store in a tightly sealed container.

To make deep rosemary sugar rim: Set out a wide bowl filled with superfine rosemary sugar. Holding a martini glass by the stem, press a lemon or orange wedge against the top 1 to 1 1/2 inches of the outside rim of the glass and rotate the glass to coat the rim lightly with juice. Then push the rim into the bowl of sugar at a 45-degree angle. Spin the glass until the outside moistened area is completely and evenly coated with sugar. Holding the glass upside down, tap lightly to remove excess sugar. Do not get sugar inside the glass.

If you’ve been tuning in to the Fine Living Channel, you might catch me on a new show called Great Cocktails.

And if cocktails are on the agenda for your next house-party or event, then give my favorite Pomegranate Sage Lemon Drop recipe a shake.

Pomegranate Sage Lemon Drop

Makes 1 cocktail

2 fresh sage leaves
1 lemon wedge
1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz DeKuyper Pomegranate Liqueur
1 1/2 oz Dish D’Lish Lemon & Lime Sour Cocktailor
Tiny splash soda
Garnish: superfine-sugar rim – lemon zest – fresh sage leaf

Tear and drop 2 sage leaves into cocktail shaker.
Squeeze and drop lemon wedge into shaker.
Fill shaker with ice. Add liquors and Cocktailor.
Shake vigorously for 5 seconds.
Add splash of soda water.
Strain into a sugar-rimmed martini glass.
Garnish with lemon zest and sage leaf.

Note: This is also delicious with a splash of Champagne.

Best wishes,
Kathy