Mojito!

• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
• 3 leaves mint
• 2 ounces white rum
• club soda

old-fashioned glass

In a smallish Collins glass, muddle lime juice with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon superfine sugar. Add the few mint leaves, mushing them against the side of the glass. Fill glass 2/3 with cracked ice and pour in the rum. Pitch in the squeezed-out lime shell and top off with club soda or seltzer. Serve with a stirring rod.

This one responds well to playing around, as long as you keep it within limits. There are some who like to replace the sugar with 2 teaspoons cane syrup; it's hard to find here, but you can make a pretty good substitute by bringing a cup of Demerara sugar ("Sugar in the Raw" works) to a gentle boil with 1/2 cup water; keep refrigerated. In either case, it adds a nice mellowness to the thing.

photo and recipe from esquire.com

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