On the rocks - Sandra’s mojito with a twist

Among my friends, I’m known for my homemade syrups and juices. I use herbs grown in my amazing garden if I may say so myself, or I collect in the forest nearby. For the fruit-based drinks, I always use organic fruit grown by me or collected in the wild. This gives my syrups an amazing freshness and a full flavor that is unmatched by any factory-made drink.

My fav summer drink – mint-syrup mojito

Nothing says refreshment in the summer hotness like a cold mint-and-lemon flavored drink. Here I’ll share with you my favorite summer drink – mojito made with my mint syrup. Read on and I hope some of you will try to make it and enjoy it.

First thing first – prepare the mint syrup. To do this, you will need a beautiful bouquet of fresh mint cuts, or about 30 branches. Any type of mint will do, but I prefer to use peppermint or spearmint varieties as they provide unique freshness and amazing aroma.

Wash the mint bouquet thoroughly and let it soak in about 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of cold water for 24 hours. To introduce some zestiness, you need to add several lemons to the mix. I usually cut four to five lemons in thin slices and leave them to soak with the mint. If you are out of fresh lemons, you can use packs of citric acid, and don’t worry; this is an edible acid that is common in all foods. I put about 50 grams of citric acid in 10 liters of water.

After 24 hours, you need to add the sugar to make the mint syrup. For the 10 liter amount, I usually put around 600-800 grams (1.3-1.6 pounds) of sugar and mix it thoroughly for the sugar to dissolve. Carefully transfer the syrup in the bottles, sifting out any leaves. You will see that the liquid has a nice greenish tint to it and a beautiful minty aroma. Put the bottles in the refrigerator to chill the syrup.

And now for the best part – prepare your mojito. Pour your measure of white rum in a tall glass, add some ice, and fill it up with your homemade mint syrup. You can add a splash of sparkling water for some bubble action, but otherwise, your drink is ready. Add some fresh mint leaves and lemon wedges to garnish the glass and you are ready to kick back, relax, and enjoy a refreshing summer drink.

The best thing about this, you can make virgin mojitos for your kids and they will love it. My kids usually drink the mint syrup all the time and I make a new batch every week. Garnish their glasses with fresh mint and lemon and they’ll feel special with their “adult” drinks.

Once you get the hang of it, you will always have a bottle of mint syrup in your fridge for when your friends come over. This is the drink I always make when I get together with my sister. We send off the kids with their dads, make a pitcher of mojitos, lounge out in my garden, and talk and laugh for hours.

Adjust the white rum content and you can adapt the strength of the mojito to suit the tastes of your guests. I like mine strong on the mint syrup and weak on the rum, for a proper cool summer refreshment that will chill and invigorate me without leaving me hammered.

You should try to make this recipe for yourself and enjoy a truly unique way of drinking mojitos.