If you’ve been following me for a while, then you’ll remember last summer when I tried mojitos for the first time (see the post HERE). My husband and I experimented and made the original mint & lime flavor, a strawberry version and even an orange basil one. In the fall we started trying out apple bourbon mojitos and so coming into spring I wanted to try a fun one for this season! I have always been hesitant to try cocktails that include a simple syrup, honestly just because it seemed like more work than it was worth… even with the name SIMPLE syrup. I’m ashamed to say my laziness kept me from enjoying some pretty delicious concoctions! A little work ahead of time saves you from having to muddle each drink and it gives a much more intense flavor. These mojitos incorporate a grapefruit infused rum (which we made ourselves), a mint infused simple syrup, fresh grapefruit juice and a splash of club soda. These are bright, refreshing and absolutely perfect for spring! The best part if that you can prepare all the ingredients far in advance and have them on-hand to enjoy whenever you like!

It’s easiest to start off segmenting grapefruits for the garnish (follow the steps from THIS post) because then you can use the juice that’s leftover and the peels for infusing the rum. I segmented two to start, put the segments in a plastic container, squeezed the juice out from what remained into a bowl and added the peels to a large container with 1.75 L white rum (1). While the rum is infusing, make your simple syrup by combining 1 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and add in one big bunch of mint leaves (2), being sure to set a few aside for garnish. Let that steep for 10 minutes, then strain the syrup and store in a plastic container.  Let the rum infuse for at least an hour, then strain and put back into it’s original bottle. Store the fresh squeezed grapefruit juice in a squirt bottle   and store that along with the syrup and segmented grapefruit in the fridge until you’re ready to make your drinks (3)! In a tall glass filled with crushed ice, pour in a shot of the infused rum and a tbsp of the simple mint syrup (4). Squirt in a couple counts of the grapefruit juice (5), then top with club soda (6), our grocery store makes zero calorie grapefruit flavored seltzer water so we used that for even more grapefruit flavor and it was delicious! Garnish with the grapefruit segments and a couple mint leaves and enjoy!!

Grapefruit Mojitos

1.75 L white rum

2-3 large grapefruit

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup water

one big bunch of mint

club soda

Segment the grapefruit, keeping the peels and juicing what’s left. Store segmented grapefruit in a plastic container and the juice in a squirt bottle. Place the rum in a large container and add the grapefruit peels, allow to infuse for at least an hour. Strain and put rum back into original bottle, discarding grapefruit peels. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil then remove from heat and add mint (setting a few leaves aside for garnish). Allow to steep for 10 minutes, strain, discard mint leaves and store in plastic container. To make the drinks, fill tall glasses with crushed ice. Pour in a shot of the infused rum, a tbsp of the simple syrup, a couple counts of the fresh grapefruit juice then top with club soda. Garnish with segmented grapefruit and a couple mint leaves.