Strawberry mojito
A refreshing twist on the classic mojito, this is a brilliant accompaniment to a summer barbecue. Try using different in-season fruits in place of the strawberries to find your favourite.
Ingredients
To make the sugar syrup
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 50ml/2fl oz water
To make the cocktail
- 50ml/2fl oz white rum
- 25ml/1fl oz freshly squeezed lime juice
- 8-10 mint leaves
- 1 fresh strawberry, hulled and quartered
- pinch ground black pepper
- handful ice, crushed
- splash soda water (about 25ml/1fl oz )
- fresh mint sprig, to garnish
Method
For the sugar syrup, put the caster sugar in a small non-stick saucepan over a medium heat and pour in the water. Stir and bring to the boil. CAUTION: boiling sugar is extremely hot. Handle very carefully. Use a deep pan to avoid bubbling over.
Once the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is clear, take the pan off the heat and leave to cool.
Pour 20ml/¾fl oz of the cooled sugar syrup into a collins glass with all the remaining ingredients except the soda water and garnish, adding the crushed ice last.
Top with the soda water to taste, and then muddle the drink gently. If you don’t have a muddler, churn the drink with a spoon from top to bottom for about 25 seconds to extract the strawberry flavour.
Add more crushed ice on top and then garnish with the mint sprig.
Recipe Tips
Before adding more crushed ice to finish the drink, try moving some of the mint leaves to the side of the glass. This won’t affect the taste but makes it look great!
Scale up the sugar syrup ingredients with a ratio of 2:1 if you’d like to make a bigger batch. It’s easier to make in larger batches and keeps for at least 2 weeks in the fridge.