It’s Cocktail Time at the Farm

One of my favorite  summer cocktails is the strawberry mint mojito. Strawberry season is short and you can never really get enough of them — the fruit, I mean! This delicious drink also takes advantage of the fresh mint growing is in our gardens. Of course, mint is readily available in grocery stores, but strawberries are best from your nearest farm or market when in season.

You can use this recipe to make any flavor of syrup; just substitute your favorite herbs or fruit for the strawberries and mint. To enjoy as a mocktail, simply add ice and soda water.

We serve lots of great cocktails for all our events. A Strawberry Mint Mojito is a good one or just a plain strawberry syrup, white sparkling wine for a refreshing summer spritzer.

Here is my recipe for a basic infused simple syrup:

1 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup chopped hulled strawberries

½ cup fresh mint leaves

 In a medium saucepan, combine water and sugar, and bring to a boil. Add strawberries and mint leaves. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the mixture into a bowl, using the back of a wooden spoon to push a bit of the berries through; discard solids. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator (I keep mine in a Mason jar), it will keep for up to 2 weeks.