Cocktails Archives - ¡HOLA! JALAPEÑO

An Easy and Refreshing Mojito Recipe

September 14, 2021 by Kate Ramos 2 Comments

Rum, lime juice, mint leaves, and simple syrup are all you need to make this classic Mojito recipe. An absolutely thirst-quenching summer cocktail.

Ah, the Mojito, arguably summer’s most refreshing cocktail.

Maybe it’s the mint and lime or possibly the fizziness of the club soda. Whatever it is, this Mojito recipe is basically all I want on a hot summer evening. Especially now since my lime tree is finally producing big, fat, juicy limes!

A bunch of mint sitting in a metal colander on top of a white plate.

On top of all that, the whole thing comes together right in the glass, which means one less cocktail shaker to wash! Yay!

Let’s take a closer look at this classic Cuban cocktail.

what is a mojito?

A mojito cocktail on a white plate with a sprig of mint sticking out of the glass and a lime cut in half and squeezed next to it.

A lot of people confuse a mojito and a margarita. They both have limes and simple syrup, but that’s about it.

A margarita is a tequila cocktail from Mexico.

A Mojito is one of the classic rum cocktails from Cuba.

According to Cuba, The Cookbook by Madelaine Vázquez Gálvez and Imogene Tondre, it originated in a Havana bar called La Bodeguita del Medio, where Ernest Hemingway was known to enjoy a few.

Some date its invention even further back to a tonic made by African slaves to battle many common diseases of the day.

Wherever it began, the main ingredient has always been fermented sugar cane, aka rum.

what ingredients do you need for this mojito recipe?

A tall glass filled with ice on a white plate next to a lime cut in half and sprigs of mint.

The base of any Mojito recipe is white rum.

White rum can be either one of two things: a rum that is unaged or a rum that has been aged in oak barrels and then the color filtered out with charcoal.

A few of my favorites are Havana Club 3 Rum, Banks Rum or Plantation Three Stars.

A white plate with a wood muddler, sprigs of fresh mint, and a lime cut in half on a wood table.

You will also need:

fresh mint–a great way to use up all that mint overtaking your garden! Use as much or as little as you like.
simple syrup (store-bought or homemade). You will need to make this first and let it chill but if you like mixing cocktails I suggest making a big batch and keeping it in your fridge for when the urge strikes.
lime juice, fresh-squeezed please. Rub the limes back and forth on the counter before cutting to extract the maximum amount of juice.
soda water or sparkling water. This is for a little fizz. Make sure it is ice cold before topping off the drink.

how to make it!

A mojito in a tall glass filled halfway with ice sitting on a white plate next to a lime that has been squeezed.

To make this mojito recipe, we begin by making the simple syrup.

Combine equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a simmer, and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

A Mason jar filled halfway with simple syrup sitting on a white plate on a wood table with sunflowers in a vase behind it.

Let the simple syrup cool completely before mixing in the cocktail. The simple syrup can be made up to 2 weeks in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

I like to chill the glass next. So grab a tall glass and fill it with ice. Let it cool down while you gather your ingredients.

Now take that glass filled with ice and dump the ice out. Add the mint leaves and simple syrup to the glass and crush the mint using a cocktail muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon—this is how we get all those minty flavors.

Muddling the mint essentially means pressing and twisting it until it is broken into smallish pieces, but not a pulp.

An overhead image looking down into the glass and at the bottom is mint that has been crushed and muddled.

Add the rum, lime juice, and club soda. Stir well with a spoon. Fill the glass with crushed ice, keeping as much mint under the ice as possible.

Top with club soda if you’d like for more bubbles and garnish with a mint sprig and even a lime wedge if you’re feeling fancy.

variation

If you want to make several mojitos over the course of an evening and don’t want to bother with muddling each drink, make mint simple syrup!

Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water and heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add 1 cup of mint leaves, stir those in. Cover and let cool to room temperature. Strain out the mint leaves, cover and chill.

more summer cocktail recipes to try

backyard or beach?

I need to know where you sipped your mojito in style! When you try it, please snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

An Easy and Refreshing Mojito Recipe

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Rum, lime juice, mint leaves, and simple syrup are all you need to make this classic Mojito recipe. An absolutely thirst-quenching summer cocktail.

Ingredients

For the simple syrup:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water

For the mojito:

12 fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) simple syrup (see recipe below)
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) fresh lime juice
3 ounces (1/3 cup) white rum
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) club soda or sparkling water
crushed ice

Instructions

Make the simple syrup. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Simple syrup will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Muddle the mint. Using a cocktail muddler, muddle the mint and simple syrup in the bottom of a tall glass.
Add remaining ingredients. Add lime juice and rum and club soda. Stir well then fill the glass with crushed ice, doing your best to keep the mint at the bottom of the glass.
Enjoy! Top with mint sprig and enjoy.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 626Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 70mgCarbohydrates: 88gFiber: 2gSugar: 51gProtein: 0g

In support of this small business, ¡Hola! Jalapeño earns revenue in a few different ways. Several sponsored posts are published each month. I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and ¡Hola! Jalapeño (readers never pay more for products). This income allows me to run the site. Thank you for reading!

Tequila Sunrise with Homemade Grenadine

January 12, 2021 by Kate Ramos 4 Comments

How to make a Tequila Sunrise cocktail with homemade grenadine using a simple combination of pomegranate juice, sugar, and orange peel. This simple cocktail makes a great brunch drink or easy-going sipper with tequila, orange juice and grenadine.

Way back in November I was lucky enough to go on my second annual California Agritour with California Grown.

Unlike the 2019 tour where we got to tour growers in Santa Barbara, this one was virtual, but still so interesting and I always come away with a renewed pride and appreciation of the farmers and farmworkers who make California the leading agricultural state in the nation.

This year was all about the San Joaquin Valley and the HUGE variety of produce, nuts, fruits, cheese, olive oil, and so much more that come from this part of the state. Keep reading to learn more about who we met and how to use California produce in your kitchen everyday!

Photo Credit: James Collier and Alycia Moreno for CA Grown

First though, I want to celebrate the California farmers, ranchers, farm workers and fisher people who work 24/7/365 to provide food, fiber and foliage for the world with one of my favorite cocktails: The Tequila Sunrise!

the tequila sunrise: a true california cocktail

A tequila sunrise cocktail sitting on a pink plate with an orange and cherry on the plate.

Like most cocktail recipes, the origins of the Tequila Sunrise are foggy but many people credit the Trident Bar in Sausalito, California as the inventors of this simple, easy-drinking cocktail.

The drink owes its popularity to Mick Jagger however, who enjoyed one (okay, probably more than one) at the Trident during their 1972 American tour and was so enamored with the drink he ordered them at every tour stop along the way.

what’s in a tequila sunrise?

Overhead image of a tequila sunrise cocktail sitting on a pink plate with a couple of orange slices sitting next to it along with a cherry.

This tequila cocktail is an easy 3-ingredient drink made with orange juice, blanco tequila, and grenadine. Then is topped with a traditional garnish of an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.

Because there are so few ingredients it is important to use the best versions of each one which is why I urge you to use the best tequila you’ve got, fresh-squeezed (California) orange juice, and homemade grenadine.

how to make a tequila sunrise

A tequila sunrise cocktail sitting on a wood table in front of an open door.

The allure of the Tequila Sunrise is its namesake appearance of a sunrise in a glass. Typically the drink is served in a tall glass filled with ice and the grenadine settles to the bottom of the glass creating that sunrise effect.

I prefer to shake the orange juice and tequila with ice in a shaker and strain into a cocktail glass instead of using the classic tall glasses. Fresh squeezed orange juice is too delicate to be sitting with ice for too long, so serving it straight up is the way to go.

Adding the grenadine to the glass work just as well served this way, it will sink to the bottom and make a beautiful display.

And just in case you were wondering, a Tequila Sunset is made with Crème de cassis or Blackberry brandy instead of the grenadine.

how to make grenadine from scratch

Ingredients to make homemade grenadine sitting on a wood table with a pink and white kitchen towel next to them.

Grenadine is commonly mischaracterized as having a cherry flavor but it is actually traditionally made with pomegranate juice. Grenadine is French for pomegranate.

On our agritour we learned that California produces 100% of the nation’s pomegranate crop, so what better way to celebrate than to make our very own batch of homemade grenadine?

It’s super easy.

Combine pomegranate juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Let simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the peel of 1 orange and continue simmering for 5 more minutes or until the liquid has a nice, thick consistency.
Let cool. Remove the orange peel and pour into a tightly-sealed container.
Keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Glass jar of homemade grenadine sitting on a wood table in front of a tequila sunrise cocktail.

recipes and notes from the san joaquin valley

You probably don’t realize it, but if you live in the US most of the fresh produce, nuts, wine, and flowers you buy at the grocery store come from California (we grow over 400 commodities!) and a lot of it comes from the San Joaquin Valley. Let’s check out a few!

real california dairy

*Photo Credit: Alycia Moreno for CA Grown*

When you see the Real California Milk seal, you’ll feel good knowing that the product is certified as having been made with 100% Real California Milk from California dairy farm families.

Like the Fiscalini Farmstead we visited, 99% of California dairies are family owned and California leads the nation in sustainable dairy production and is number one in milk, ice cream, butter, nonfat dry milk and whey protein concentrate and is the second largest producer of cheese and yogurt.

real california dairy recipes to try:

california sweet potatoes

Photo Credit: Alycia Moreno for CA Grown

Before our agritour I knew sweet potatoes were good for you, but I had no idea how much! They are high in nutrients, low in calories, fat and cholesterol-free and have loads of fiber! Quite possibly the most healthy vegetable on the planet.

Jason Tucker, from the Tucker Produce Company showed us why California grows such delicious sweet potatoes with a visit to his family farm. The sunshine and warm, dry climate mean their sweet potatoes can cure right on the vine instead of storage sheds for lush, flavorful sweet potatoes.

california sweet potato recipes to try!

california olive oil

Photo credit: James Collier for CA Grown

Rolland Rosenthal from the Rosenthal Olive Ranch shared how high-density hedge row-grown California olives allow for maximum yields and mechanical harvesting and increased food safety.

We were sent a bottle of this golden olive oil made from Arbequina olives which we finished off in record time. Look for California olive oil on your next trip to the grocery store. Buying olive oil produced in California means it will be fresher and has met precise standards set by the California system.

california olive oil recipes to try

ready to raise a glass to california grown?

I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into a tiny fraction of what makes California agriculture so special. Find some California-grown oranges and pomegranates and shake up a Tequila Sunrise cocktail to celebrate! When you do snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) !

Tequila Sunrise with Homemade Grenadine

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

How to make a Tequila Sunrise cocktail with homemade grenadine using a simple combination of pomegranate juice, sugar, and orange peel.

Grenadine recipe adapted from Masterclass

Ingredients

for the homemade grenadine:

2 cups Pomegranate juice
1 cup granulated sugar
the peel of 1 orange

for the tequila sunrise:

3 ounces (1/3 cup) fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 ounces (1/4 cup) blanco tequila
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) homemade grenadine
an orange wheel and a maraschino cherry for garnish

Instructions

make the grenadine. Combine pomegranate juice and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stirring until sugar is dissolved. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add the orange peel and let simmer 5 more minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and let cool. Remove orange peel and pour into a tightly-sealed container. Grenadine will keep for 1 month in the refrigerator.
make the tequila sunrise. Combine orange juice and tequila in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass. Add grenadine by spooning into the bottom of the glass. Garnish with the orange wedge and cherry and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 720Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 16mgCarbohydrates: 126gFiber: 8gSugar: 96gProtein: 8g

In support of this small business, ¡Hola! Jalapeño earns revenue in a few different ways. Several sponsored posts are published each month, such as this one here which is sponsored by California Grown. I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and ¡Hola! Jalapeño (readers never pay more for products). This income allows me to run the site. Thank you for reading!

10 Recipes To Try This Week|10/2/16

October 2, 2016 by Kate Ramos Leave a Comment

10 dinner party recipes for a fall get together like two seasonal cocktails, chicken and bacon pasta with cream sauce and loaded cheesy cauliflower mash.

The recipes I post in this weekly round-up have to fall into two categories:

1. I would and/or have made them at my house

2. I would order them at a restaurant

The second option exists to hold all the recipes that sound incredible (and I would absolutely order should they appear on a restaurant menu) but I wouldn’t actually make them at home because a) they contain lots of dairy products that aren’t easily substituted (Armando’s lactose-intolerant) or b) I know I can’t find the ingredients.

Lastly there are those recipes that I daydream about making for an imaginary dinner party where everyone has the same tastes as me. Do you do this too? I know what my family will and will not enjoy eating and a lot of the time these tastes do not align with mine so I have this continuous dinner party happening in my head where I get to make (and eat) all the things that would never fly in my real life house.

What would you make for your “Me-Themed” dinner party?

Whatever that may be, I know you’ll find something here you are actually going to want to try this week. Have a good one! xoxo, Kate

10 Dinner Party Recipes

Slow Cooker Chicken Pho from The Lemon Bowl

Smashed White Bean Quesadillas from Oh My Veggies

Black Pepper Espresso Tapioca Pudding from Always Alejandra

Steakhouse-Style Loaded Cheesy Cauliflower Mash from An Edible Mosaic

Rosemary Concord Smash from Beard and Bonnet

Chicken and Bacon Pasta with Garlic Cream Sauce from Julia’s Album

Ham, Egg, and Cheese Grilled Cheese from Damn Delicious

I know, two cocktails this week but they both sounded so good, I couldn’t choose. Apple Cider, Bourbon, and Amaretto Cocktails from Floating Kitchen

Vegan Green Pozole from Mexican Food Memories

Pumpkin Loaf from I Am A Food Blog

Photo Via

Sunday Rocks

February 21, 2015 by Kate Ramos 6 Comments

Hi there! Are you prepping for a big Oscar’s party tonight?

I hunted high and low for a friend that would be home and who also has cable (a combination that is increasingly rare) so we could watch all the gowns go down the red carpet. In return for inviting myself to their house I’m making my favorite chocolate cake and roast pork for lettuce wraps. What about you?

I’m still undecided on cocktails but here are a few ideas for us to mull over……

How about a whiskey sour except made special with blood orange juice?

Or this Brazilian Limeade, because Monday hangovers are the worst.

Heather’s got a vegan White Russian, reminiscent of one of the most classic movie cocktails ever.

We could go old school with this Bijou Cocktail from Honestly Yum; there’s green chartreuse involved, you’ll probably only need one.

Or this Blood Orange Bourbon Smash looks well…..smashing.

This may not be a drink but I love this idea of freezing champagne and fruit to add to cocktails.

And because its really not a party without margaritas.

This champagne cocktail with St. Germaine and Campari is down right sophisticated.

And this one was literally made for the Oscar’s.

I hope you all have fun. What movies are you rooting for? What stars are you excited to see? I’m pulling for Marion Cotillard and Patricia Arquette—love them, but really it’s just an honor to be nominated, right?!

Have fun and I’ll meet you back here tomorrow for potato tacos, um’kay?

The Sunday 10 | 10 Best Cocktails for New Year’s Eve

December 28, 2014 by Kate Ramos Leave a Comment

Ringing in the New Year just isn’t the same unless you’ve got something festive to toast with. For today’s Sunday 10 I’ve rounded up the best cocktails (and one mocktail) from some of my favorite food bloggers so you can do just that.

1. Spiced Bittersweet Hot Chocolate with Peppermint Schnapps from Brooklyn Supper