The other day, I cohosted a barbecue so, of course, I served a signature cocktail. As an added challenge, the barbecue was actually a baby shower, and the guest of honor was pregnant. So I searched for a recipe that would be just as refreshing without booze as with it.
I dug this recipe out of my recipe file, ripped out of InStyle magazine years ago and just waiting for its moment. It's great for big groups since it can be made in large batches, and I like that it uses vodka instead of the usual rum, since I have a lot of friends who find rum off-putting. It's very tart and sufficiently sweet, and without the vodka, it's just a minty homemade lemonade. To get the recipe, read more.
InStyle magazine
Ingredients
1/2 cup mint leaves, plus mint sprigs for garnish
1 cup sugar syrup (recipe follows)
5 cups club soda
4 cups vodka
4 cups fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup superfine sugar
Directions
- To make the sugar syrup, heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water over low heat, stirring with wooden spoon until sugar has dissolved. Stop stirring and increase heat to medium. Simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool; refrigerate 2 hours before using.
- In large bowl, muddle 1/2 cup mint leaves with sugar syrup.
- Stir in club soda, vodka*, lemon juice, and 2/3 cup superfine sugar. Chill.
- Pour into ice-filled pitchers with lemon rounds and mint sprigs; serve in tall glasses.
* To make a nonalcoholic batch of lemonade, reserve the vodka and add 1 1/2 ounces to each glass before pouring.
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A-Z Collection
Aminaka Wilmont
Great Plains
This sounds delicious!
1it's nice to see that you were able to keep true to a drink that everyone knows yet manage to substitute something in so that even the guest of honor could enjoy. i think that we tend to go to the easy things when we're in the presence of a preggo woman, and i'm sure that she was very happy to see that.
i like this recipe though - and i might try it out myself for the next get together that i have. sometimes you want things that look like they are alcoholic yet they are good for all ages.
2yum!
3I love mocktails. My husband and I aren't big drinkers but I love mojitos and margaritas so I love coming across recipes that can be made without alcohol.
4sorry~but add 1.5 oz of what if replacing vodka? ^^; more water?
5Love mojitos
6I made these for a Labor Day BBQ yesterday, and they were a huge hit! Everyone was begging for the recipe! Highly recommend this cocktail! Thanks yumsugar.
7delkiteflwr, I think she means add 1 1/2 ounces of VODKA to each glass rather than mixing it all together in a pitcher, so that the pitcher isn't alcoholic.
8I made a batch of these recently for a party I had and they were such a hit. It is such a delicious blend of ingredients. They went fast, next time I will have to make more than one batch.
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