The One Extra Step For Even Bolder Mint Flavors In Your Mojito

While National Mojito Day is technically July 11th, the Cuban cocktail is refreshing all year round. The icy, minty drink consists of white rum, sugar, lime juice, mint, and soda water, and, if done well, each of these ingredients should shine on their own and work together to make up the drink's iconic and fresh taste. The mojito feels luxurious and fancy, but it's not overly fruity or sweet. Its look is simple, and its taste is refined and balanced. What more could you want from a cocktail? If your at-home mojitos could use a bit more mint, Molly Horn, Chief Mixologist and Spirits Educator at Total Wine & More, recommends one additional step.

"I like to turn up the fresh mint flavor even more by making a cold-infused mint simple syrup," Horn said. "Basically, letting a whole bunch of mint sit submerged in a container of filtered water for 24 hours, straining, then adding equal parts sugar, and whisking until it dissolves." This method allows the mint to stay fresh and doesn't strip the great hidden flavors it possesses.

Extracting flavor with cold water might seem counterintuitive since we often extract flavor with boiling water. However, cold-infused syrups possess a more complex flavor than what you'd get with a regular syrup that's been boiled. In fact, syrups that are boiled are often stripped of their subtleties and made bitter. With a cold-infused mint simple syrup, the flavor is released slowly over 24 hours, allowing it to take its time in releasing all that complexity.

Before making any cocktails, be sure the mint you have on hand is as fresh as can be. Once you know you're working with fresh mint, Horn then likes to gently muddle it to achieve an even stronger flavor. However, "muddling too hard will cause the mint to get too bitter," she warned, because the mint's chlorophyll, which is where its bitterness lies, is released. To make sure you don't over-muddle your fresh mint leaves, don't try and grind up the leaves with your muddler. Instead, focus on crushing the leaves slowly in such a way that all of their flavors are extracted just enough. When the mint becomes fragrant, you'll know you've done it right.

When it comes to mint variety, you can use whatever you've got, but we recommend curly mint because it will elevate the look and taste of your mojitos. It's got a stronger flavor, and its curly leaves bring a different type of garnish to the cocktail.  "Also," Horn continued, "one dash of Angostura bitters adds really beautiful depth!" Angostura offers a variety of bitters, but a small splash of their original flavor is all you need to add to your mojito for a spicier, herbier, more enhanced flavor. Its color is reddish brown, too, which will give your icy mojito an added splash of vibrancy.