The Mojito has rudely interrupted many a bar’s move. One order of the basic minty drink tends to result in one other, till each patron within the place is looking for a summery highball that makes bartenders groan.
Peter Altenburg discovered a greater means: For his riff on the Mojito referred to as &thesea, he skips the pile of mint on the backside of the glass altogether and as a substitute leans on “mint-washed” rum and mint-infused Spanish vermut.
Chicken, Altenburg’s Copenhagen bar, pre-batches all of its cocktails, which will increase consistency, decreases service time and lessens the clatter of bottles on the backbar, a vital win for a jazz bar that often hosts DJs spinning vinyl. “We now have diminished most noise from the bar,” Altenburg says, with a view to “concentrate on acoustics and nice music experiences.”
Within the case of the &thesea, the cocktail additionally seems extra streamlined than a basic Mojito, whereas nonetheless packing a minty freshness that may generally even elude the rum basic made the normal means. Altenburg doesn’t muddle any mint within the glass, and the presentation options no accoutrements past an ice pillar and a small mint sprig. The key to all this readability lies in two sorts of infusions.
“The important mint leaf oils are fairly delicate and simply flip into ‘moist canine’ notes,” warns Altenburg, and the important thing to avoiding that’s shortly introducing alcohol to the herbs after extracting their oils. The primary infusion begins with an oleo saccharum made with superfine sugar, mint stems and mint leaves muddled collectively and refrigerated in a single day. It continues with a “rum wash,” the place unaged rum combines with the combination and rests within the freezer for one more 24 hours. Conserving all the things frigid secures a robust base of minty rum whereas stopping “a heavy, pungent and undesired mint taste,” in response to Altenburg, who makes use of the method for drinks “that carry fragile important oils.” That features a springtime play on a French 75 that includes a pine-shoot oleo saccharum washed with a neighborhood impartial spirit, and an Americano that showcases basil oleo saccharum washed with vermouth. Altenburg says the vermouth’s decrease alcohol content material supplies a gentler medium for extracting oils, pulling much more delicate flavors from the herb than a high-proof wash.
The second mint infusion for the &thesea additionally makes use of vermouth to extract these lighter, subtler flavors. In a blender, Altenburg briefly blitzes Spanish vermut blanco with recent mint leaves and lets the combination sit for an hour within the fridge. Each mint washes get strained via a espresso filter, leading to clear spirits with a slight inexperienced tinge. Collectively, the 2 infusions seize a variety of the herb’s nuances, from leaf to stem.
&thesea
A Mojito that skips the muddling in favor of mint-infused rum and vermouth.
Combined into the &thesea, together with malic acid for tartness and a housemade elderflower syrup, the mint-packed elements supply “a gentle and nearly silky liquid with tons of mint aromas and a plentiful but elegant rum kick,” in response to Altenburg.
Past the Mojito and its family just like the Outdated Cuban, the mint rum may work effectively in a Mint Julep, a Southside (or a Baltimore Southside) or because the float in a Swampwater. In the meantime, the mint vermouth would possibly really feel at residence within the Lifetime Ban, a play on a reverse Martini that provides sherry and mint to the components, although Altenburg recommends letting it shine in a dead-simple serve: “The mint vermouth is totally sensible with glowing water or tonic.”
