I absolutely love this time of year. Living in New York, we are cooped up for so many months and this winter seemed to be as brutal and never-ending as I can remember. Now that things are warming up we can take full advantage of the great things our area has to offer and one of my favorites is the beach that is two minutes away from our house! We live right up the street from Lake Erie and a beautiful portion of the beach that has a straight shot view of downtown. I love it because it reminds me of my childhood, where I grew up right up the street from Chautauqua Lake. What this time of year that means to me is time spent with family on the lake and I created this cocktail with that in mind. I love a nice crispy mojito and this version simplifies things so you bring the different components easily with you on-the-go to make it anywhere!

Instead of a typical mojito, which has to be muddled with sugar , mint and limes, etc. (which is not easy to do on the beach) I made a simple syrup infused with the mint. That way you get the sweetness and the mint flavor all in liquid form that’s even more flavorful. That gets mixed with some rum & rum soaked berries and topped with some berry soda water. It is so refreshing an flavorful and is PERFECT for summer. If you don’t drink alcohol, this also makes a seriously good mocktail without the rum!

If you want to try an original mojito, check out this post which also has recipes for Strawberry Mint ones and Orange Basil ones or check out this post for a grapefruit version!

To see the step-by-step tutorial and get the recipe for how to make these, head on over to our “Americana” issue of Vrai Magazine!