This is how the p.r. query read for this summer's release of the 10 Cane rum mojito kit: "This summer, 10 CANE presents a limited-edition 10 CANE Mojito Kit that allows aspiring mixologists to enjoy fresh notes of mint, sugar cane and lime juice at home without the hassle of muddling, cleanup, and embarrassing mint stuck in their guests’ teeth. Just fill glasses with ice, add contents, stir and ... remove shoes."



Now, this is a lovely idea, as the mojito is a lovely drink. And a "kit" to make one on the fly is an attractive idea too--keep one in the glove box in case your car breaks down in the middle of a desert. You don't need to have fresh mint or lime and all the cleanup involved in that. The trouble is that I tried making the drink (and I think I did it right, by following the instructions to dump both the rum and the Stirrings mojito mix into an ice-filled glass) and the drink just wasn't that good. Now, I know that we don't expect the freeze-dried turkey tetrazzini that we might take on a backpacking trip to taste as good as the roast chicken at Zuni. But a mojito just isn't that hard to make. The problem was the mojito mix--it was too sweet and didn't have enough fresh mint flavor. Ultimately, I'd rather just drink the rum solo on the rocks.



In an emergency, you might want to keep the mojito kit around. But in a bigger emergency, I'd just recommend a full-sized bottle of 10 Cane.