Meyer Lemon Basil Mojito

This Meyer Lemon Basil Mojito is a refreshing cocktail, great for outdoor entertaining!

So yesterday was Easter, but rather than celebrating in a traditional way {we don’t really do anything in a traditional way in this family}, we decided to start our herb and vegetable garden. This is a project we knew we would want to work on since we moved in last summer, but we were waiting for the perfect weather and some time to invest in getting it set up — and that was yesterday. Rather than building raised beds like we did in our old house, we planted rows similar to an actual farm, using a technique I learned years ago when I worked at a middle school. They had an agriculture program there that I took my students with special needs to participate in, and the kids planted vegetables in rows, and the rows were basically like mounded lines. One of the rows I planted yesterday was basil, and since it looked so nice and fresh, I decided it was the perfect time to use some in a new cocktail recipe, this Meyer Lemon Basil Mojito. If you’ve never had a mojito, it’s traditionally made with lime and mint, so Meyer lemon and basil is a fun new twist for spring! This recipe makes two servings.

Meyer Lemon Basil Mojito Ingredients:

One Meyer lemon, quartered
10 basil leaves
3 ounces white rum
Lemon-lime soda
1 ounce simple syrup
Ice

Meyer Lemon Basil Mojito Directions:

Begin by gathering your ingredients. If you’ve never tried a Meyer lemon, it’s a little different than a regular lemon. It’s almost like a regular lemon + an orange. I made my simple syrup by quickly simmering one part turbinado sugar and one part water over a low heat and allowing it to cool. I poured 1/2 ounce of simple syrup into the bottom of each glass along with two Meyer lemon wedges and 5 basil leaves. I muddled these together until the basil began to break down, the lemon wedges were squeezed, and the simple syrup combined with the lemon and basil. I then added 1.5 ounces of white rum to each glass and filled them to the rim with ice. To finish this delicious Meyer Lemon Basil Mojito, top each glass with either lemon-lime soda to enhance the citrus flavor or club soda and serve!