I’ve been raving about aged rum. Well, this weekend I stopped at the Wine Gallery in Brookline and picked up a bottle of Ron Zacapa Centenario 15 year aged rum, a very fine and affordable ($28) Guatemalan spirit, then went to the trusty Hi-Lo market for a dozen limes, so I could give this excellent rum the simplest treatment possible. With a dash of simple syrup to round it out, I had what a friend had told me was the Cuban drink par excellence, the mojaga, which is basically the prototype of the daiquiri.

Mojaga

1 jiggers fine aged rum
1/2 lime, juice of and shell for garnish
1 good dash simple syrup

Pour liquid ingredients into an old fashioned or doubles glass. Stir, then fill with ice, and add spent lime shell

I can’t vouch for the authenticity of the mojaga in Havana new or old, but it’s a great drink, flavorful enough to satisfy those who want more than liquor on the rocks, but basic enough to let the quality of the rum to shine through. Obviously, you can cater to your preferences… more lime and sugar move it toward a daiquiri, less sugar make a minimalist rum and lime combination that many love.

Wine Gallery is located at 375 Boylston (Rt. 9), Brookline, near the Brookline Hills T stop.

I have my friend Rebecca to thank for a new drink to the repertoire: the Jasmine. It’s a surprising, but simple enough, combination of ingredients that a well-stocked basic bar would have:

Jasmine Cocktail

scant jigger gin
1/2 jigger lemon juice
a splash Cointreau
a splash Campari

She whipped up a batch Friday night, and for me it perfectly captured the late summer weather we’re having, with its sunny days and crisp nights. With plenty of citrus and just a hint of Campari, it reminded me a lot of the bitter-sour flavor of grapefruit juice. Like many great drinks, in any case, the balance meant that the ingredients added up to a whole greater than the parts. It’s now in my heavy rotation.