Yesterday we met Steve Holquist, the tropical fish wrangler-turned-bartender who mixes drinks at central Phoenix's Fuego Bistro. Today he shares with us the recipe for his classic mojito, which won a Best of Phoenix award in 2008.
"A basic mojito can be taken so many different directions based on what rum you use," Holquist says. "It's really wide open to interpretation. But when you start with fresh lime and fresh mint, you can't go wrong. It's pretty hard to mess it up."
The ingredients:
2.5 oz. rum
4-5 lime wedges
10 fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp. white sugar
1 cup club soda
Dash Angostura Bitters
Ice
How to make it:
Fill a shaker pint glass with the sugar, limes and mint. Throw in a couple of ice cubes and muddle it all down ("This is the best part of the mojito," Holquist says. "This is where all the flavor is released."). Pack a metal shaker with ice and the club soda. Pour in the limey, minty contents of the shaker glass and give it just one shake ("There's soda in there and you don't want to ruin the effervescence," Holquist says). Pour all the contents into a third shaker, top with a dash or two of Angostura bitters, and enjoy.
