3teaspoonsgranulated white sugar, or demerara sugar
3sprigsmint , roughly torn
1/2lime, cut into wedges
2 1/2ounceswhite rum
Instructions
To the glass or bottom half of a cocktail shaker, in this order, add:
3 bar spoons or teaspoons granulated white or demerara sugar, 3 roughly torn mint sprigs and 3 lime wedges
Muddle firmly 5 or 6 times. What is in the shaker is a "sandwich" for maximum muddle efficiency. The sugar on the bottom acts as an abrasive and helps rip the mint leaves apart.
The lime wedges on top absorb the full force of the muddle and release juice even while protecting the mint from being bruised. You don’t want to rip the mint apart at this point; just weaken it. Never overmuddle mint. It ends up losing its vivaciousness and tasting like overcooked greens.
Add: 2 1/2 ounces white rum
Fill the shaker with ice and shake 10 times, at most. You do not need my ordained 20 shakes, because we’ve already blended most of the ingredients. At this point, you need only to stun the mint into falling apart. The mint is already weakened from muddling, and so it does not take a lot of shaking to do the job.
Fill a highball glass with crushed ice and strain the drink over it. If you prefer a cocktail with more evidence of mint and lime, simply pour the contents of the shaker, ice and all, into an empty glass.
If you like, top the drink with a splash of Club soda or citrus soda.
Garnish the drink liberally with mint leaves.
(Keep in mind that mint smells stronger than it tastes, so be as generous with the mint as you can. The bouquet will trick the brain into tasting it more fully.)