The last two Festive Friday cocktails have been pretty heavy and sweet, so this week we’re lightening things up with a mojito.  Mojitos are one of my very favorite cocktails but I tend to only drink them during the summer when we grow fresh mint.  I’m very particular about my mojito: no spearmint, not too sweet and it must be fresh (no pre-made mixes, if you please).  This week I wanted to incorporate the mojito into our holiday celebrations and what better way to do that than to swap out mint for peppermint?

This seemed like a great idea but as I went from store to store I realized nobody is carrying peppermint right now.  Which seems odd, isn’t the holiday season a perfect time to offer customers fresh peppermint?  Needless to say, I had to make some adjustments to my plan and get a little creative.  I ended up making two different versions, both came out pretty good…fresh and light with a hint of holiday.

White Peppermint Mojito (makes 2 cocktails)

Ingredients:

• Simple syrup
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
• 1 can club soda (I used lime flavored)
• 3 oz of white rum (I used Bacardi)
• 1 lime, cut into 8ths
• Peppermint Spirits*
• Ice

Instructions:

• Make your simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a pot over low heat on the stove, let sugar dissolve completely and then remove from heat.  Let cool. (I put mine in the refrigerator to speed the cooling process.)
• In a cup add 1 oz of simple syrup, 1/2 of the lime and 4 drops of the Peppermint Spirits, muddle (I used the tamper tool that came with my Vitamix blender)
• Add 1.5 ounces of white rum, mix
• Fill cup with ice
• Top with club soda, mix gently

*I would have preferred fresh peppermint leaves, so if you can find those where you live replace the peppermint spirits with 6-8 peppermint leaves.  I found my peppermint spirits at Whole Foods, but it looks like Amazon is offering it at a lower price right now.

Dark Peppermint Mojito (makes 2 cocktails)

Ingredients:

• Simple syrup
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 peppermint teabags
• 1 can club soda
• 3 oz of dark rum (I used Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum)
• 1 lime, cut into 8ths
• Peppermint Spirits
• Ice

Instructions:

• To make this simple syrup I brought my water to a boil and steeped 4 peppermint teabags for about 10-15 minutes, added the sugar and stirred until it dissolved.
• In a cup add 1 oz of simple syrup, 1/2 of the lime and 4 drops of the Peppermint Spirits, muddle
• Add 1.5 ounces of dark rum, mix
• Fill cup with ice
• Top with club soda, mix gently

I liked both versions but I think the White Peppermint Mojito is my favorite.  Try it for yourself and let me know which one gets your vote.

Here’s to an enchanting weekend!

XOXO

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