Herb Infused Cocktail ~ Limoncello Mojito

    

     I don't know about you, we have an abundance of mint.  We have regular spearmint, peppermint and one other variety that I cannot for the life of me remember the name.  Needless to stay, our mint is prolific and oh so yummy.  We use it in a variety of ways, a lot of Asian inspired dishes, garnish for salads and of course mixed drinks.  

    Mint is so versatile and easy to grow that if you have a spot in your yard that needs a good ground cover, add it in and see what happens.  Mint grows really well and spreads better than almost any other ground cover.  So if you do not want your mint to overtake your yard, be sure to plant it in a pot.

    I chose this Limoncello Mojito as our cocktail this month. The use of the mint and lemons, just seem so cheery and summery, that I could not have picked a better option.  Who doesn't like a bit of summer color in your drink?

    This one is easy to mix for your personal drink or as a big group.  Use your multiplication skills to make that big batch cocktail happen.  My secret to a great tasting cocktail this month is the simple syrup.  I didn't just use any old simple syrup.  I snagged some of my son's, lemon simple syrup to mix into this drink.  

    The added citrus flavor of the lemon simple syrup is just too good to pass up.  It really helps to bring the flavors together and make a drink worth sipping on.  

Limoncello Mojito

Serving size 1

6-8 fresh mint leaves

1 ounce white rum

1 ounce Limoncello lemon liqueur

1 TBLS lemon simple syrup

1/2 tsp. lime juice

top of with club soda or sparkling water

First muddle your mint leaves in the bottom of a shaker cup.  Once the oils have released and you can really smell the fresh mint, add in your ice.  Once the ice has been added, pour in your rum, Limoncello, simple syrup, and lime juice.  Give the cup a vigorous shake.  Pour over an ice filled glass and then top of with sparkling water.  Garnish with fresh mint and a slice of lime. 

    This drink is sure to wow all your rum drinkers.  Simple, refreshing and full of summer flavor.  Make a batch today to share with friends.  As always please drink responsibly and have a designated driver. Cheers!

Mojitos - herb infused cocktail series

Some of you might know, who follow us on social media, that we are starting a veggie garden at The Oaks.  We have always grown our own herbs and had one or two veggie plants over the years, but this year we decided to make a change and really focus on trying to provide our own veggies for our guest meals.  We want to create a farm to table aspect of our bed and breakfast business. 

With that in mind, I wanted to start a monthly cocktail recipe made with items you can grow in your back yard.  This month’s recipe is Mojito.  A mojito is great drink to mix as a cocktail or a mocktail.  Make a pitcher for the whole family to enjoy while welcoming in the summer months around the fit pit. 

Our featured herb this month is mint.  There are multiple kinds of mint you can grow in your yard, but beware, mint likes to spread.  So unless you want to have it everywhere contain your mint in a pot.  If you want to have a fragrant ground cover, let it roam all over your garden bed.  It has the ability to keep coming back year after year. 

We planted the traditional mint, that you can pick up at your favorite home store or nursery and set it in a pot by the stairs, leading up to the deck.  I will eventually need to replace my pot, since it broke when switching out plants, but it should work for a while, as the mint establishes itself.  I would wait a few weeks for the roots to set in before using your mint, but as you do begin to use it, taking a few leaves here and there should help to promote growth. 

Mint can be used in a multitude of ways and we are going to start off with this simple, yet delicious method in a Mojito.  We like to use fresh ingredients when we can, so grab those limes and juicer and squeeze that nectar right out.  Since we set our establishment up with a bar we use Collins glasses for our mojitos.  They are tall and slender which gives the drink some extra pizzazz and views of the mint and lime. Of course if you want to make this into a drink for everyone or all ages, just eliminate the rum, and add a little more simple syrup.

 

Mojito

 4-5 mint leaves

2 oz. of White rum

1 oz. simple syrup

½ oz. lime juice, fresh

4 oz. club soda or sparkling water 

 

Squeeze in the fresh lime, about half a lime should do.  Add in the mint leave and muddle, break them up a bit to release their flavor.  Add rum and simple syrup.  Fill with ice cubes and top off with club soda.  Stir the flavors together.  You can garnish your drink with lime wedges or slices, and a sprig of mint at the top.  To make this a mocktail, add in another ounce to ounce and half more of simple syrup and leave out the rum. 

 You can make your own simple syrup if you plan to make pitchers full, of this delicious cocktail or if you plan to make other cocktails with simple syrup.  It is as simple as adding water to sugar and heating until the sugar has dissolved.  This is a one-to-one recipe.  Store in the fridge until ready to use.  

We hope you have enjoyed our first herb infused cocktail.  Until next time, travel safe and drink up.