Sitting in a garden one day, I was overwhelmed with the urge to drink what I was smelling. It was my parent’s herb and flower garden, full of mint, lavender, cilantro, and various other flowers. I tried to taste the air and imagine it as a drink, but my mind was wandering that day and all I could come up with was an earthen smoothie. Yeah, not too appetizing. But then my dad made me a mojito and everything became clearer! Well, most things became clearer for a bit, but by the fourth everything was fuzzy again.
The bright minty freshness of the mint mixed with cold soda, lime, and rum, was just too good to think about funking with. But I’m a funky one, so I took some lavender and several zip lock bag samples of everything home with me and got to work on turning their garden into a drink. We tend to do this every year since they love to play as much as I do. After plenty of fun playtime, the first version of my Lavender Blueberry Mojito was born. With the addition of Butterfly Pea Flower, this beverage has evolved into a colour changing extravaganza, complete with edible glitter! And best of all, it’s even easier to make than a traditional mojito!
You can literally just put everything into a glass with ice, give it a stir and a spank, and be good to go. But because I love to shake and do things absolutely properly, I’ll run you through the best way to piece this funky take in the most fabulous way possible.
Start by putting in 2 oz of white rum, 1 oz of Lavender Magic syrup, and a whole lot of ice into a shaker tin. Get vigorous with it, shake it like you’re Jim Carrey’s the Mask while singing Cuban Pete. Then go ahead and strain the shimmery deep purple elixir into a fresh glass with ice. Now it’s time to spank your mint! Take about 10 mint leaves into the palm of your hand and give them 3 good spanks. This will release the flavours of the mint without bringing out the bitterness. Place the mint into your glass and top with 4-6 oz of soda water, leave some room at the top! This is because we are adding the lime in last. The compounds in Butterfly Pea Flower are such that when they come into contact with an acid or base, they change colours. The citric acid in the lime will change the purple elixir into a bright pink/fuschia potion. Now top it off with a bit more spanked mint to fool your nose into adding much more flavour, and you are all set to enjoy a vibrant sip of a Cuban garden!
Going the Extra Mile!
If you don’t mind some extra labour that pays off in extra flavour, then let’s go all out! Adding blueberries really expands the range of this cocktail and there are so many ways to do that! You can place some blueberries in your ice cube tray along with some mint which will time release as the summer heat dissolves your refreshment. Or to really turn those blueberry notes up to 11, then go ahead and muddle some into your shaker before you add anything else in. My personal favourite is to get your blueberries nice and drunk and then use them as a garnish!
For drunken blueberries simply place some blueberries in a sealed mason jar of rum, gin, or vodka! Fill the jar with the blueberries first, then top up with your alcohol of choice. Let that rest in a cool dry place for at least 24 hours before serving. You can then spear these with a toothpick or garnish skewer and serve along with your cocktail. Don’t worry about the used liquor, it has now been infused with blueberries and is extra delicious for shots! Or if you are using rum, then you can go ahead and use your blueberry rum for your mojito!!! Nothing goes to waste…. Except maybe you on a warm afternoon, so be mindful of your intake because you have a potent and tasty beverage in your hand.
Drink responsibly, take lots of pictures, and enjoy sipping a garden.
Peace & Cheers
Bar Daddy