Apple Mint Mojitos

When I went to purchase the starter herbs for my little container garden, I could not find any regular mint! Pineapple mint, chocolate mint… ai ya. I wasn’t convinced. I just wanted regular mint. Then I stumbled upon apple mint and, while it still wasn’t quite right, I figured that that would be easier to use than something like chocolate mint.

As nine times out of ten, I seem to grab the mint for a mojito, I figured that this would be a good opportunity to try making an apple influenced mojito.



Apple simple syrup:
~1L apple cider
1/2 sugar

Take that lovely apple cider and simmer it down until you have reduced it by two-thirds. Once you have reduced the cider by about half, you can give it a quick taste for sweetness. Add the sugar and continue to reduce to the two-thirds mark.

Mojito components:
White rum
Lime (the juice of one lime per mojito)
Mint leaves (four or more leaves each)
Simple syrup (depends on how sweet you like your cocktail… I used an ounce)
Soda water or Perrier or similar (enough to fill the glass)

Squeeze your limes into your glass. Add your mint and the lime quarters. Muddle the two together (you can use a muddler or a wooden spoon). Add your simple syrup and muddle a bit more. Add your ice, then rum (an ounce or two depending on your need for potency), then fill the glass with your soda water. Stir, garnish and enjoy.

If you want to add another level of infused flavour to your cocktail (and are planning ahead), you can also look at infusing your rum with lemon, lime or apple even! A few years ago, my sister gave me a cocktail and infusion book aptly called Infused. I went on an infusing kick and made raspberry liquer, fig vodka and lemon-lime infused rum. While their recipe is more for a liquor, I opted to exclude the sugar and just impart the lemon-lime flavour into the rum (rather than any sweetness). If you care to give this a shot, all you need to do is steep the rum with the zest from six limes and six lemons. Leave in a cool, dark place for 3-4 weeks. Shake the container a few times each week. If the flavour is strong enough for you, then strain the rum and transfer into a bottle. Now, again put the bottle in a cool dark place, and age the rum for another 3-4 weeks.