When life gives you lemons, trade them for limes and make mojitos

I never thought that having wet hair would cost me a job.  I went to an interview with my hair up and wet from the shower I took that morning and that’s what cost me a job.

But this blog is not a place for me to whine and moan.  That job was not important, so therefore losing it was not at the top of my concerns.  It was the reason why I lost it, though, which made me lose it.  But, I had to go to work, so I collected myself and moved on. 

That morning, I had seen a recipe for mojito cupcakes in the newspaper (which I will be making soon I’m sure) and it inspired me to add an additional plant to my garden: mint.  Well, I won’t actually plant the mint in my garden because it is a vine and would take over the entire garden like my squash plant did (even though squash is not a vine, it’s just a giant plant).  On my way back from an appointment, I stopped at the garden center to pick up a peppermint plant, which is where I got the call that I didn’t get the job.  I brought home the plant, potted it, went to work, and sat there thinking of what I was going to do for the summer.  There are still a few more places I can send my application to.  I can also easily supplement my free time (and income) this summer with babysitting and tutoring positions.  And if I don’t get anything for the summer it isn’t the end of the world, it’s not like I’ll be sitting around with nothing to do.  This week I’ve certainly kept myself busy with appointments and getting my substitute application together and some other errands (including creating business cards!).  It’s just that I haven’t gotten two jobs I interviewed for this summer and it’s been discouraging.  So, I decided that this would be a great night to work that new mint plant and make some mojitos.  I invited some friends over and I winged a recipe for a pitcher of mojitos while my friend (who has his bartending license) acted as a backseat bartender and gave me his input.  (Drum roll please) I present to you, my first original Quarter Life Crisis recipe!

Mojito (pitcher)

Serves 5

Ingredients

2 C mint leaves, packed

2 T sugar

1/3 C lime juice

1 ½ cups of rum

1 L club soda

5 slices lime and 5 sprigs of mint (1 for each glass)

Put the mint leaves in a bowl with the lime juice and muddle until the leaves become dark green.  Let sit for about 10 minutes.  Add sugar and stir until dissolved.  Pour the contents of the bowl into a pitcher.  Add the rum and the club soda and stir.  Pour over ice and garnish each glass with a slice of lime and a sprig of mint. 

Notes: If you’re using freshly squeezed lime juice, use about another T or 2 of sugar.  I used bottled lime juice, which was sweetened, so I used less sugar.  Also, we first tried the mojito with only 1 C of rum in the pitcher and it tasted fine.  We added an extra half-cup of rum and it made the mojito taste less like lime juice and more like a mojito, without the alcohol overpowering the drink.  I’d suggest starting with the 1 C of rum and then adding more to suit your taste.  If you do not like mint leaves in your mojito, pour the contents of the pitcher through a cocktail strainer when pouring glasses, but let the mint leaves steep in the pitcher or else your mojito will just taste like lime juice.    

Posted by Ali B at 1:04 AM