I declare this...

IMG_3411
Originally uploaded by sromine

... the summer of the mojito.
I know, I know. Mojitos were soooo three years ago, but I don't care. Last summer, Fred and I were all about gin and tonics, and exactly one year ago I earned the nickname Gin-Tin. (Apparently because I smelled like gin the night after we imbibed in a few too many at home.
Friday night we headed to a trendy Mexican restaurant called Nada and had caipirinhas. Brazil's national drink, the caipirinha is the mojito's sexier, more sophisticated cousin. (It's lime, a sugarcane liqueur called cachaca and sugar. Mmm.)
Light and refreshing, they pack quite a punch and really sneak up on you.
The next day during my weekly trip to Findlay Market, I found a bunch of fresh and fragrant mint. Madison's was offering 5 limes for $2, so an idea soon formed.
I called Fred, who was running errands with his mom, and told him to bring home club soda and rum. (After I explained what a mojito was.)
It's no caipirinha, but the mojito is pretty darn good. And unlike a gin and tonic, it's a universally appealing drink.
I can still throw back a few G&Ts, but this summer, at our place, it's all about the mojito.