This refreshing Extra Minty Mojito bumps up the mint flavor without filling your glass with mint leaves by adding homemade mint simple syrup.
I have a giant mint plant in my backyard. What’s unusual about it, is that it just magically appeared, all on it’s own. I noticed it growing partially under our deck in a section of landscaping rocks a couple of years ago. There was no other mint growing nearby. It just showed up. Not being one to question edible plants that are willing to grow without any sort of work from me, I just let it be, harvesting the leaves whenever I needed them. It even survived an accidental weed killer application by our lawn company. It just keeps growing, bigger and bigger. Sometimes, I wonder what I should do with it all, and then I just go ahead and make mint tea and Extra Minty Mojitos.
I like my mojitos really minty. But I found that to get them as minty as I wanted them, I had to put so many mint leaves into my glass that it kind of felt like I was chewing on a salad. Then one day, I did a huge mint harvest and decided to make some mint simple syrup (just equal parts mint, sugar and water – simple). I intended to use this syrup to add to club soda, and maybe even sweeten my mint tea. But then I figured why not add it to my mojitos for an extra hint of minty goodness? Jackpot! I could get the minty flavor I wanted, while still adding just a reasonable number of leaves to my cocktail. No excessive chewing required.
Extra Minty Mojito
Ingredients
- 1 ounce mint simple syrup
- 1/2 small lime, cut into 4 pieces
- 6 large mint leaves
- 1 1/2 ounces rum
- club soda (plain or lime)
Mint Simple Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup mint leaves
Instructions
- Muddle together syrup, lime and mint leaves. Stir in rum. Fill glass halfway with ice. Top with club soda (use lime flavored soda if you like your mojito extra limey). Garnish with additional mint leaves or lime wedge as desired.
Mint Simple Syrup
- Add water, sugar and mint leaves to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Remove from heat and steep for an hour. Strain into a bottle or jar and cool completely before using. Can be stored in fridge for several months.
Nutrition
Extra Minty Mojito Nutrition Notes:
As with most cocktails, the majority of the calories from this drink come from the alcohol in it. If you’re not willing to cut out the booze, there is not much you can do to cut the calories of this particular cocktail, as the sugar is already at a minimum. However, cut out the rum, and you’ve got a refreshingly delicious (and fairly low calorie) mocktail on your hands.
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