Yesterday we met Bryan Yngstrom, the man serving drinks at The House at Secret Garden. Today he shares with us the recipe for the Mango Serrano Mojito, which is apparently not-so-secret -- though he did have some problems crafting it.
"At first we tried muddling the Serrano right along with the herbs, but it was way too hot," Yngstrom says. "We thought, why not put it in a simple syrup? We already do a rosemary simple syrup. It turned out nicely."
That it did. Fruity, sweet mango blends with fresh mint, herbal cilantro and a spicy pepper kick that builds after each sip. It's like a zesty Squirt soda -- complex yet simple, and more drinkable than it should be.
The ingredients:
1 oz. mango puree
1 oz. Serrano simple syrup
2 ½ oz. Appleton rum
10 mint leaves
10 cilantro leaves
1 oz. lime juice
Club soda
How to make it:
To make the Serrano simple syrup, simply boil equal parts water and sugar along with several chopped Serrano peppers for ten minutes. Muddle the Serrano syrup, mint and cilantro inside a shaker. Add everything except the club soda. Shake well. Strain loosely into an ice-filled glass, allowing some smaller pieces of the herbs to pour in. Fill the remainder of the glass with club soda. Stir with a straw and drink up.
