Grapefruit Mojitos
It seems like the summer has finally arrived here after what has felt like the longest winter to ever happen. With longer daylight hours, warm breezes, and beautiful sunshine brightening our days, there have been endless opportunities to enjoy being outdoors. Patio season has arrived!
Our backyard space has been fairly neglected since we moved in to our home about a year ago, but we finally pulled the trigger on ordering some patio furniture and I have a few DIY ideas up my sleeves to make our back patio a warm and inviting space over the next couple of weeks. But a lack of patio furniture has never stopped us from enjoying being out there before and it certainly won’t stop us now. I’ve already been soaking in the sun and have been enjoying the odd summer cocktail out there.
Which brings me to this recipe. A classic mojito is by far one of my favourite cocktails, but a couple of years ago I tried swapping out the fresh lime juice for fresh grapefruit juice. The result blew my mind. The grapefruit version has now become my favourite go-to at home cocktail because it is just so darn delicious and so darn easy to make.
You will need –
1 medium-large grapefruit
A handful of fresh mint leaves
Mint simple syrup*
White rum
Grapefruit flavoured Perrier (or any type of soda water)
Ice
To make two cocktails, start by slicing your grapefruit in half. From one half, cut off a round slice and set it aside to be used as a garnish. Squeeze the juice out of the two remaining pieces into a bowl.
In a cocktail shaker, add two tablespoons of mint simple syrup, two ounces of fresh grapefruit juice, four ounces of white rum, and six to eight mint leaves, gently twisted and torn. Be sure not to break the mint leaves up too much or the pieces will make their way into your drink. Add ice to the shaker, pop on the lid, and give the mixture a good shake.
Top two glasses with ice. Evenly distribute the shaken cocktail mixture between the two glasses and top them off with the soda water. Garnish the glasses with the slice of grapefruit you set aside earlier and some mint sprigs.
*To make mint simple syrup, combine 1/2 cup of white sugar with 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan. Add a handful of fresh mint leaves. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Strain the mint leaves and store the simple syrup in a mason jar in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
Let me know if you try this recipe. I have a feeling that you will end up loving it just as much as we do. You can watch a video version of this recipe on our Youtube channel.
