Recipe: The Fauxjito

I’ve lost track of the mojito. I know it can’t possibly still be in—an acutely fashion-forward friend of mine made a little moue of distaste when I ordered one at a restaurant, like, 4 years ago—but I don’t know if it’s currently out or if it has retreated to a place beyond the dictates of trendiness. Whatever. It remains a delicious drink, and a very pleasant one to serve at small summer gatherings. When entertaining a crowd, however, it is a colossal pain in the ass. For those of you who enjoy the refreshing taste of the mojito but prefer not to consign yourself or someone you love to several hours bruising mint leaves, I offer an alternative: the fauxjito. While this drink does require a little bit of work, it’s all done in advance, leaving you free to mingle instead of muddle.

The ingredients for this drink are

A couple bunches of fresh mint (more for a large crowd)
At least two cans of frozen limeade (more for a large crowd)
A bottle of rum

First, make mint ice cubes by chopping the mint leaves, stuffing them into an ice-cube tray, topping the mint with water to fill, and freezing. Each drink should have at least a few mint cubes, so make as much as you think you’ll need. Obviously, you want to leave yourself several hours of freezing time for each batch.

Next, make a pitcher of limeade according to the instructions on the carton. This will involve thawing limeade first, so plan accordingly.

At party time, put the mint cubes in an ice bucket, and set this out with the pitcher and bottle of rum. Drink assembly is totally simple: Put a few mint ice cubes in a glass, fill glass with limeade, and top with a shot of rum. (Straws are optional, but they do make it possible to stir the drink, and your girl guests won’t mess up their lipstick as they sip.)

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Recipe: The Fauxjito

I’ve lost track of the mojito. I know it can’t possibly still be in—an acutely fashion-forward friend of mine made a little moue of distaste when I ordered one at a restaurant, like, 4 years ago—but I don’t know if it’s currently out or if it has retreated to a place beyond the dictates of trendiness. Whatever. It remains a delicious drink, and a very pleasant one to serve at small summer gatherings. When entertaining a crowd, however, it is a colossal pain in the ass. For those of you who enjoy the refreshing taste of the mojito but prefer not to consign yourself or someone you love to several hours bruising mint leaves, I offer an alternative: the fauxjito. While this drink does require a little bit of work, it’s all done in advance, leaving you free to mingle instead of muddle.

The ingredients for this drink are

A couple bunches of fresh mint (more for a large crowd)
At least two cans of frozen limeade (more for a large crowd)
A bottle of rum

First, make mint ice cubes by chopping the mint leaves, stuffing them into an ice-cube tray, topping the mint with water to fill, and freezing. Each drink should have at least a few mint cubes, so make as much as you think you’ll need. Obviously, you want to leave yourself several hours of freezing time for each batch.

Next, make a pitcher of limeade according to the instructions on the carton. This will involve thawing limeade first, so plan accordingly.

At party time, put the mint cubes in an ice bucket, and set this out with the pitcher and bottle of rum. Drink assembly is totally simple: Put a few mint ice cubes in a glass, fill glass with limeade, and top with a shot of rum. (Straws are optional, but they do make it possible to stir the drink, and your girl guests won’t mess up their lipstick as they sip.)