The quest for a signature cocktail

I've written before about our friends Michael and Jamie, who are getting married in MA in Sept. Last weekend they came with me and Joe to the beach.

Several times throughout the weekend I asked them about some of the details of their wedding and reception, and other times the details just came out in regular conversation. One of the things on their 'to do' list was to find dressy black shoes to wear with their tuxedos. We were able to cross that off the list this weekend with a trip to the Rehoboth outlet centers.

Another item on their 'to do' list was to come up with a signature cocktail. Rather than having a full bar at their reception, they've decided on wine, beer, and a signature cocktail. It'll be simpler than trying to guess how much of all the different kinds of booze they'll need, plus the idea of a signature cocktail just sounds special.

Jamie had the idea of taking an existing cocktail and changing or adding a key ingredient to make 'The Michael and Jamie cocktail'. Since Mojitos are the new Cosmos, they thought a mojito with a twist might be fun. Thus began our quest for 'The Michael and Jamie Mojito'.

So at dinner Saturday night (at Fish On), we decided that the four of us would each order a mojito with some other ingredient thrown in. We'd sample each drink several times and then vote on our favorite. Our waitress was sure the bartender wouldn't mind. And as you'd expect, this idea was right up my alley.

We ordered a mojito with Chamboard, which came out a beautiful blush color, a mojito with watermelon liqueur, which came out an odd, aquarium green color, a mojito with peach schnapps, which was almost clear, and a mojito with pineapple juice, which came out a cloudy, pale yellow.

We all tried each drink, and all had different but strong first impressions. Michael couldn't taste the watermelon at all, but it was Jamie's favorite. Joe hated the one with the peach schnapps, but I loved it. Michael liked the one with the Chamboard, but Jamie didn't care for it. I hated the one with the pineapple juice, but that was Joe's favorite.

The more I drank of the mojito with the peach schnapps, the more I thought I'd discovered 'The Mark Mojito'. The mixture of the mint, sugar, lime juice, white rum and peach schnapps was so refreshing, and went down so smoothly. I suggested that the waitress tell the bartender to begin offering people 'The Mark Mojito' if any were unsure what to drink.

I don't think we ever came to a consensus on what would finally become 'The Michael and Jamie cocktail'. Perhaps we'll have to try this type of outing again, altering a different cocktail four different ways, to finally know when we've got it. Or, maybe Michael and Jamie will just get tired (or drunk) and simply serve vodka and cranberry juice (also known as a Cape Cod) since they're getting married in MA. Wouldn't that be cheeky...