Sounds good

Shirley, that sounds right up my street, I'll be having those on holiday!

Shirley, that sounds right up my street, I'll be having those on holiday!

Me too

Talking of Mojitos, I don't drink, well what I mean is that I don't drink apart from the occasional drink and usually one of anything is enough, but last June when I was in Spain sat outside a bar, the waiter came outside to a little tub that was half full of weeds for what I now know as Spanish mint, anyway for some reason he gave me a sprig as he passed by.

All night long I was fiddling with this sprig of mint and the thing was drooping by the hour, when we got back to the apartment I stuck it in some water and left it in the plastic cup.....it rooted, so when were leaving I wrapped it in some wet tissue paper and I had a mini one of those "lock n load" containers that I'd taken some dried milk in, so I put it in that and packed it .....to cut the story short, my hubby has been hooked on Mojitos made with this mint, we have the "ordinary" mint growing at the bottom of the garden, but Spanish mint (Mentha spicata) is a lot nicer, it has a kind of spearmint tang to it.... it also called hierbabuena by the Spanish.

It's growing in a tub near the back door and I forgot about it this winter and fully expected the sub zero temperatures to have killed it off, especially as the flood I had poured water from the facia boards all down the back of the house with icicles on this tub, but nope, it's there coming through again.
When I went to Australia, everybody told me I had to have something to knock me out for a while on the plane, so I had a few Mojitos, courtesy of Mr Branson's lounge at Heathrow.
I thought, I've gotta take a photo of this, nobody will believe I drank it and a few more besides.
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Sanji, I know you don't drink so hearing that you drank a few of those has got me giggling.....did they do the trick and relax you?

Sanji, I know you don't drink so hearing that you drank a few of those has got me giggling.....did they do the trick and relax you?

Yes, I was Ok on the plane, I kept dozing off until Hong Kong and I wasn't crawling up the sides of the plane after 2 hours, I asked them not to make it strong, but I think they made it stronger as the night went on and I was struggling to get the last one down, we were delayed for 2½ hours, so I just had another one and another one.
Sanji x

Sanji, you're absolutely right about the mint - this is why most mojitos as served in the UK simply don't taste quite the same - or as good - as the 'real thing' in Cuba or Spain. It never occured to me to try and root some of the mint that the bar tenders use in Cuba - as I have the sort of container that you brought yours back in, I'm going to beg a sprig or two next time I'm over there and see if I can root it and bring it back home. Though living this far north I mightn't be so lucky when it comes to overwintering it - might just have to remember to bring a pot indoors onto the kitchen windowsill for those little winter pickmeups!

SM

Sm
You don't have to go to Cuba for the mint, I'm planning on taking some cuttings this year because I was very lucky that the sub zero temperatures didn't kill it, we had temperatures as low as -15 and the pot was drenched in ice water, if the cuttings work, I'll glady send you some.

Sanji

Hi Sanji,

I wouldn't be going to Cuba just for the mint - I usually go at least once a year and have been known to go twice within 12 months for dance classes But if your cuttings 'take', please PM me for the postal address and I'll gladly take you up on the offer.

SM

Why not try growing some from seed?

http://www.thedevilsgarden.co.uk/index.php?app=gbu0&ns=prodshow&ref=Herb-Seeds-Spearmint-Mentha-Spicata

ATB,J.

Santa libre, rum n sprite or 7up, a bit sweet than a cuba libre

paralyzer - vodka, kaluha, cream and Coke