Mojito Slushy

Mojito Slushy –heat relief in a glass

Thanks to my sweet Connie for writing this post.  And, thanks to Labor Day weekend for finally being able to dig through my photos and FIND the pics so I could finally post this.  Since he wrote the original post we've made another round - this time with crushed blackberries added.  YUM!

The old saying goes, “Everybody complains about the weather, but no one does anything about it.” (Charles Dudley Warner, 1821 – 1900) (not Mark Twain, although they were friends).  Well folks, Tyler Florence has made a contribution that, while it hasn’t solved the heat wave, it has at least made it more bearable.

The weather has been hot.  How hot was it, Kate?  It has been so hot that you could fry an egg on an ice cube!  Ba da bum!  Okay, enough for the feeble cooking humor.  Regardless, it has been miserable all across the country and we are looking for whatever little relief we can find.

Kate opened the weekly e-mail from Food Network describing the Mojito Slushy and was definitely intrigued.  She forwarded it to me and, don’t you know, it was on the menu that very evening.  This is absolutely one of those recipes that is right in the strike zone, not too sweet, yet sweet enough.  It uses the ingredients that are abundant right now even in the midst of the drought.  Cool, refreshing.  Are you getting the fact that we REALLY liked this drink?  To top it all off, it has very low alcohol content, and I am not talking about some teeny, tiny shooter.  This took an hour to finish, yet it had only one ounce of alcohol. 

Ditch the alcohol and serve it to your kids as a dessert!  You might want to do that outside, because this has not been tested for carpet staining resistance.  Even then, it is more water than sugar and your kids will love it.

We think that the secret to this drink is actually very subtle.  We have had many mojitos and the lime zest really adds a depth of flavor that delivers the essence without overpowering the mint and sugar.  I do believe I am going to try the zest in a regular mojito as a test.

One disclaimer, Tyler’s recipe has you make 1:1 sugar syrup as preparation for this drink.  We swear by 2:1 (sugar to water and have posted it here on the blog) and have it made in the fridge.  It is so essential to regular cocktail preparation that it is worth the effort to prepare it beforehand.

I bring you, courtesy of Tyler Florence, The Mojito Slushy. 

Mojito Slushy (for two)

4 oz Simple Syrup (2:1 as usual, see our recipe)
2 oz fresh lime juice (zest one of the limes first)
1/8 cup fresh mint leaves
1 lime, zested (told you!)
2 oz light rum (we use Bacardi’s)
4 cups crushed ice
Mint sprigs and lime wedges for garnish

Put the simple syrup, lime juice, mint leaves, lime zest and rum into a blender and blend until very smooth.  Add the ice and blend until slushy.  Pour into frosty glasses, garnish, kiss the one(s) you love, and enjoy!