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I’ve mentioned several times recently how easy my pregnancy has been so far (::knocks on wood::). One of the hardest parts for me has been giving up alcohol. Now before you go and get any ideas, let me just tell you that I don’t drink alcohol *that* much BUT I LOVE a good glass of wine to unwind after a long day of work (nothing relaxes me more) and I REALLY love hanging out at some of Nashville’s amazing breweries.
With Spring in full swing and summer coming, all of my favorite breweries are releasing new seasonal beers and I want to drink ALL of them. To make up for it, I’ve taken to trying all of my favorite summer drinks in non alcoholic form :)
First up, this MOJITO! Raspberry Virgin Mojito to be exact. I wanted something to fancy this drink up since there’s no rum in it. A nice raspberry syrup sounded like it would do the trick!
Side note, I have THESE alcohol test strips on my baby registry because while I’m SO excited about breastfeeding, I also fully plan to jump back in to enjoying some of my favorite alcoholic beverages pretty soon after baby Britnell is born (maybe I have a six pack of my favorite spring seasonal beer set aside to go in my hospital bag. shhh).
This virgin mojito is basically a normal mojito minus the rum. That’s it. Nothing too revolutionary :)
I typically just muddle a little stevia or sugar into the mint but this time, decided to go with a simple syrup with some raspberries blended into the mix. Sugar (you can also use honey which I HIGHLY recommend!) and water are boiled together with a handful of raspberries. Once it’s thickened a little, it’s then blended together to break down the berries. You can strain the mixture to remove the seeds but I don’t mind them.
The raspberry simple syrup plus the other ingredients are mixed together in a tall glass and you’re done! Cocktails made at home should never be too fussy (in my opinion). If you’re trying to be fancy to impress visitors, that’s another story. But if you’re making a refreshing drink for yourself….no fuss!
The simple syrup can be made in advance and in greater quantities so that you can have it on hand for later (I HIGHLY recommend this!).
That’s all for this Thirsty Thursday :D
I’m super excited to be back in the swing of things with my blog. I think this week might be the first ALL YEAR that I’ve posted more than twice which used to be a regular thing for us.
Raspberry Virgin Mojito
Ingredients
For the raspberry simple syrup
- ½ cup of fresh raspberries
- 2 cups of water
- ¾ cups of sugar, can also be substituted for agave or honey
For the Virgin Mojitos
- ice
- 8 medium-large mint leaves per cup, 16 total
- 1 lime, sliced into wedges or slices
- ~4 ounces of club soda per glass, 8 ounces total
- Extra raspberries and mint for garnish
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, mix together the raspberry simple syrup ingredients (1/2 cup of raspberries, water, and sugar). Bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for roughly 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture has thickened a bit.
- Let cool for 5 minutes and then puree in a blender or food processor. If desired, you can strain the mixture to remove the berry seeds.
- To make the mojitos: in 2 glasses, pour 1/2 cup of the raspberry puree. Place 8 mint leaves and 2 lime wedges into each glass and muddle to release the flavors. Top each glass off with ice and fill to the top with the club soda.
- Garnish with extra raspberries and mint and ENJOY!
This looks like a perfect drink for hot summer days! Can’t wait to test it!
This looks absolutely lovely and refreshing! I am so happy to hear your pregnancy is going so well so far. I am so excited for you!! <3 <3
Raspberries and mint together sound like the perfect match!
The drink looks really tempting – a tempting change from iced tea! I remember hearing that in Denmark years ago the hospitals would give new mothers beer to help bring in their milk!