Pineapple Ginger Mojito

Dr. Jenny's Note:

My grandmother, a native of Philly, gives me her "Philadelphia" magazines when she is finished reading them. Each month, they feature a recipe created by a chef in one of their reknown Philly restaurants/clubs. This mojito is credited to mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim of the G Lounge. I have to admit that I have never been a big fan of mojitos; however, I was willing to give this a try. After making this yesterday, I am totally addicted. I am going to enjoy drinking these all summer. This is a bit of a pain to prepare and you have to wait four days for the pineapple and rum to fuse, but the result is well worth it. Prep time does not include the 4 days wait on the rum fusion. We used the 10 Cane rum, as the recipe suggested. Also, the recipe notes that you will need to choose a sweeter, gold pineapple and be sure to remove the core completely or your rum will have a bitter aftertaste. This recipe calls for quite a bit of ginger, so DH peeled it and put it in a food processor instead of dicing by hand.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 1

For the pineapple infused rum (use 1 1/2 ounces)

• 1 large pineapple
• 1 liter rum (they strongly recommend using the brand 10 Cane)

For the ginger syrup (use 1 ounce)

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup gingerroot, peeled and diced
• 2 cups granulated sugar

For each mojito

• 12 -14 leaves spearmint
• 1 small lime, juice of (about 1 oz)
• crushed ice
• 1/2 ounce soda water, chilled
• 1 sprig fresh mint (to garnish)
• pineapple, spear (to garnish)

Directions:

1. To make the pineapple-rum: Peel, core and slice pineapple and pack into a glass container with a cover. Add rum to completely cover pineapple. Seal container and store in a cool place for four to five days. Taste rum occasionally to check progress. When rum has reached the desired flavor, strain it through a sieve, bottle, and refrigerate for up to two weeks. Yields one liter.
2. To make ginger syrup: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water and ginger to a boil. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Strain through a sieve, bottle, and refrigerate for up to one month. Yields approximately 3 cups.
3. To make mojito: In a 14-oz glass, muddle spearmint, lime juice, and ginger syrup, to release the spearmint oils without tearing the leaves. Fill the glass with crushed ice, and add pineapple-infused rum. Stir the drink to incorporate the flavors and coat the ice. Add more crushed ice, stir again, top with soda water, and stir once. Garnish with a sprig of mint and spear of pineapple.

Reviews

[FLKeysJen]

This is an incredible mojito recipe and both the pineapple rum and ginger syrup are outstanding "recipes within the recipe"...YUM! I used crystallized ginger to make the syrup and it's just delicious; I saved the sugary ginger that was strained off to sprinkle over oatmeal and use in other recipes. The pineapple and ginger flavors were subtle for us but it depends on the proportions you choose. The second time we made it, we used fewer mint leaves and muddled some pineapple chunks with them which gave much stronger pineapple flavor. Made for the South/Central America stop on the Zaar World Tour and highly recommended!

[Lainey6605]

This is wonderful! I love the flavors of the pineapple and ginger. I also love the mint in it! This is truly a recipe to sit back and just enjoy in the warm, sunny weather. Thanks for sharing. Made for the South/Central America stop on the ZWT7 for the Vivacious Violets.

[Baby Kato]

Wow! Awesome drink Dr. Jenny. Well worth the extra effort. The pineapple rum is beautiful in color and has an incredible pineapple flavor. (I used a Havana Rum and let it sit for 6 days) The ginger syrup is out of this world, sweet and spicy, just the way I like it. This was a delicious drink, love the spearmint in there, everything blends to create a wonderful experience. I will be enjoying this for the next few weeks. (I'm the only one drinking here, lucky me) Thank you so much for sharing a recipe that I have put in my favorites cookbook for 2011. Made for ZWT7 (Witchin Kitchen)