Mojitos

My favourite summer cocktail is the mojito. I used to make them at the Grad Club when I was a bartender. The ingredients were a scoop of ice, a shot of white rum, the juice of half a lime, a handful of mint leaves and a spoonful of sugar. We would blitz the whole lot together in a blender then pour it slushy-style into an icing-sugar rimmed martini glass. It was really perfect!

Tonight S and I made our own version, and instead of straight sugar I made a cardamom-infused simple syrup.

Cardamom-infused simple syrup
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup sugar
sprinkle of ground cardamom
Combine ingredients and stir until sugar has dissolved. Tonight I let it cool on the stove top and then used it, but ideally it should be cooled in the fridge.

Mojito
1 shot (or however much you fancy) white rum
7-8 torn mint leaves
4 tsp cardamom simple syrup OR 2 tsp sugar
juice of one lime
club soda
Combine everything and top up with club soda.

I think you could add more cardamom syrup than 4 tsp, as we taste tested both versions and didn't taste much a difference. I haven't yet figured out how to get the mint leaves to stay at the bottom of the glass. Maybe I should just keep them on the stalk and just submerge that. Does anyone know?