INVERTED Mojito | An upside down summer classic

Hi, Friends of Cocktails. Today we’re giving another classic drink a Cocktail Time treatment: the Mojito. We’ve done the clear version a while ago, and recently showed you how you can pre-batch it, for a fun night of fast & easy Mojitos. But what if you could turn it upside down? - to have everything green just on the top, but also give it a nice, fluffy texture and some interesting flavors - I think it would be the perfect way to enjoy this refreshing summer classic in a new way.

Let’s start with the classic Mojito to have something to sip on while we make the upside down version.

Classic Mojito

• 60mL (2oz) white Cuban rum

• 22.5mL (0.75oz) lime juice

• 22.5mL (0.75oz) sugar syrup

• 10-12 mint leaves

• Soda to top

Spank the mint and drop it into a tall glass, followed by the rum, syrup and lime juice. Now lightly press the mint with a muddler or a bar spoon and then stir with ice to incorporate the ingredients. Finally top your Mojito with soda water and garnish with a mint bouquet. There’s just something special about the aroma of freshly muddled mint, and the combination of those herbal aromas with sugar, lime and cuban rum. In the heat it’s somehow always perfectly balanced by the dilution of ice and the fizzy soda - it even looks refreshing!

Let’s start with the classic Mojito to have something to sip on while we make the upside down version.

But let’s move onto the star of the show. The typical rum, lime, sugar and mint combination is of course a little different for this one, as the Inverted Mojito will be clear and crowned with Mint Foam and a sprinkling of matcha green tea powder as the finishing touch.

Mint Foam

• 20g peppermint

• 20g lemon balm mint

• 500g cold, filtered water

• 0.5g xanthan gum

• 24g sugar

• 1.6g methylcellulose

• 20 drops 20% saline solution

• 1 nitrous oxide cartridge

We’ll begin by blanching the mint, so place it in boiling hot water for 15 seconds, then plunge it straight into an ice bath for about a minute - Tip: feel free to try any mint variety you like. Now dab the mint dry with a kitchen towel and place all the leaves in a blender, discarding the stalks. Add 500 g of cold, filtered water and blend on high speed for about 30 seconds. Fine strain through a cloth filter and that’s the first part done.

Now use 300g of the mint water to a blender, followed by the xanthan gum (this is a thickening agent, emulsifier and stabilizer which prevents ingredients from separating). So the foam will be pleasant to the taste on its own as well, add the sugar and saline solution and blend everything thoroughly for the sugar to dissolve, then move on to the next part. We’ll heat up separately 100 ml of mint water and before it starts boiling, add it to a medium bowl alongside the methylcellulose and whisk until everything is dissolved, like we did for the Super Syrup.

Lastly add the blended mixture into the bowl, whisking until everything is fully mixed and incorporated and pour it into an iSi siphon and charge it with a nitrous oxide cartridge, like the ones used for whipped cream. Shake hard to distribute the gas evenly and place it in the fridge to chill. It should be used within 3 days, and we have enough foam to top-up about 15 cocktails, but you can also use it on your next dessert or to make interesting variations on any mint cocktail, like the Southside or the Whiskey Smash.

Now we are ready to prepare the Inverted Mojito.

Inverted Mojito

• 52.5mL (1.75oz) Diplomatico Planas rum

• 15mL (0.5oz) Tio Pepe Fino Sherry

• 22.5mL (0.75oz) simple syrup

• 22.5mL (0.75oz) clarified Lime Super Juice

• 105mL (3.5oz) unsweetened coconut water

• 1 CO2 Cartridge

• Mint Foam

• Matcha Powder

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and add them to a chilled soda siphon that we’ll charge with a single CO2 cartridge. Shake hard to mix everything and help with a better carbonation of our cocktail, then to release the pressure from the siphon, turn it around (meaning the gas is now at the top and that’s what’s coming through the tube), then open the siphon and pour the cocktail over a clear ice spear in a highball glass. Now top up the cocktail with our Mint Foam and add a sprinkle of matcha green tea powder - Tip: for best results, place this in the fridge or freezer before serving.

This is a drink that you’ll want to drink without a straw, making sure you’re sipping the cocktail through the foam. Let’s dive in, cheers! Grassy and fresh aromas with mint in the forefront hint towards the origins of this cocktail, but the combination of rum, coconut and fino sherry elevate it and almost make it something else. The lingering sensation of mint and rum still keep it in the same family, with nutty and tropical notes being a pleasant addition to the classic mojito flavors. If you’re looking for something extra to finish this summer in style, this is it.

To make it easier for you to try these recipes you can grab the bottles from my collection at CURIADA.

Get methylcellulose: https://geni.us/8BIo

Get xanthan gum: https://geni.us/DUJM5f

Get your own iSi Gourmet Whip: https://geni.us/kG7oS5

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