Sweet, minty, cool, and refreshing…. The perfect drink for early summer!
Sweet and Satisfying, the Strawberry Mojito with Simple Syrup
Bubbly, minty, and sweet, the Mojito was made for relaxing after a long day in the hot sun. There are a million variants and twists you can put on the Mojito, but at its core you always have:
- Mint
- Rum (usually white rum)
- A sugary element
- Club soda
Those alone make for a great classic Mojito. I like to add fruit, and by using simple syrup, I don’t have to aggressively stir and dissolve granulated sugar.
Garden Fresh!
The other thing I love about Strawberry Mojitos with Simple Syrup is that I can pull from my garden to make it.
Mint can be grown basically anywhere, is super hardy, and you’ll quickly end up with more than you know what to do with. My chocolate mint is 7 years old and moved houses with me. This year I found it’s trying to take over my lawn.
In Michigan, most strawberries ripen in June, which kind of plants June in my mind as Mojito month. It’s May at the time of writing, so I have to buy strawberries while I watch the crop come in.
Glass, Pitcher, or Mix
- Pitcher: I wrote this recipe to make a 1 liter pitcher of Mojitos, which Allan and I split. Since carbonated club soda is a key ingredient, you won’t want to let your pitcher sit around too long.
- Glass: If you want to make just one drink, you can scale it down to about ¼ cup simple syrup, 1 can of club soda, a shot of rum, and about ⅓ the amount of mint and strawberries.
- Mix: You can also make a Strawberry Mojito with Simple Syrup mix, by mixing following the recipe and leaving out the club soda until you’re ready to drink it. Pour 1 can of club soda into about ¼ of the mix.
Let’s make some Strawberry Mojitos with Simple Syrup
Start off by rinsing and plucking your mint. Depending on the type of mint you may want to remove the leaves from the stem (like with my chocolate mint). I had about a fist full of mint, maybe 20-30 leaves.
Wash and slice 4-5 large strawberries. Use more if they’re small, and try to keep a couple extra for some garnish later. Slice three limes in half and juice into the pitcher. If using bottled juice, use 1/3 cup.
Pour in the simple syrup and muddle everything together. Make sure the mint leaves get good and crushed. I actually found it easiest to do the muddling in a bowl, then return to the pitcher.
You can taste the mix at this point, if desired add more mint or strawberries and muddle again.
Add the rum and mix, then pour in the club soda. You can mix the pitcher a little bit, but don’t stir too much or you’ll decarbonate the mojitos.
Prepare the garnishes for your glass. Quarter a lime, and cut a small slice into the fruit so you can slide it onto the glass. Cut the top off a strawberry, and cut about halfway into it. Slide both on your glass, and add a sprig of mint. Fill up the glass ⅔ to ¾ full and top off with ice. I prefer to add ice after pouring the mojito to avoid decarbonating the drink.
Enjoy 🙂
Recipe for Strawberry Mojitos with Simple Syrup
Strawberry Mojito with Simple Syrup
Equipment
- 1 Pitcher 1-1.5L capacity
- 1 Muddler You can use a glass or spoon as a substitute in a pinch.
- 1 Cutting board and knife
Ingredients
- 20-30 leaves mint Have extra sprigs for garnish
- 4 limes 3 for juicing, 1 for garnish
- ¾ Cup simple syrup
- 1 Liter club soda A little less than 3 cans
- 9-10 strawberries 5 for the drink, 4 for garnish
- 1 Cup White Rum I used Bacardi
Instructions
- Rinse and pluck your mint. Depending on the type of mint you may want to remove the leaves from the stem (like with my chocolate mint). I had about a fist full of mint, maybe 20-30 leaves.
- Wash and slice 4-5 large strawberries. Use more if they’re small, and try to keep a couple extra for some garnish later. Slice three of the lemons in half and juice into the pitcher.
- Pour in the simple syrup and muddle everything together. Make sure the mint leaves get good and crushed. I actually found it easiest to do the muddling in a bowl, then return to the pitcher. You can taste the mix at this point, if desired add more mint or strawberries and muddle again.
- Add the rum and mix, then pour in the club soda. You can mix the pitcher a little bit, but don’t stir too much or you’ll decarbonate the mojitos.
- Prepare the garnishes for your glass. Quarter a lime, and cut a small slice into the fruit so you can slide it onto the glass. Cut the top off a strawberry, and cut about halfway into it. Slide both on your glass, and add a sprig of mint. Fill up the glass ⅔ to ¾ full and top off with ice. I prefer to add ice after pouring the mojito to avoid decarbonating the drink. Enjoy 🙂
