Shaken Virgin Mojito with Bright Mint Syrup

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A mocktail built with real bar technique: a fast-infused mint syrup that stays vivid green, fresh-squeezed lime, a splash of chilled green tea for the tannic backbone rum usually provides, and a few drops of saline to make everything pop. Shaken hard, poured over crushed ice, and finished with a soda-water lift and a slapped mint bouquet so the first thing you smell is a whole garden.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves and tender stems
• 1 strip lime zest, peeled with a vegetable peeler

• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 4 tsp warm water

• 3 oz fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)
• 3 oz bright mint syrup, chilled
• 3 oz brewed green tea, chilled
• 8 leaves fresh mint
• 6 drops saline solution
• 4 cups crushed ice, plus more for shaking
• 6 oz cold club soda or sparkling water

• 2 sprigs fresh mint, large and bushy
• 2 lime wheels
• powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the syrup: combine the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lime zest strip and all 1 1/2 cups mint, and press the mint under the liquid with a spoon. Steep exactly 5 minutes — longer turns it grassy and dull.
2. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a heatproof jar or measuring cup and pour the syrup through, pressing the mint gently with the back of a spoon to release the liquid without pulverizing the leaves. Discard the solids, then set the jar in an ice-water bath and stir for 5 minutes until completely cold. This shock-chill is what keeps the syrup a clear light green. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
3. Make the saline: stir 1 tsp fine sea salt into 4 tsp warm water until dissolved. Keep in a small dropper bottle or a cup with a spoon; you only need a few drops per drink.
4. Brew the tea if you haven't: steep 1 green tea bag in 4 oz water at 175°F for 2 minutes, then remove the bag and chill. Do not over-steep — you want faint tannin, not bitterness.
5. Crush your ice: put ice cubes in a zip-top bag, wrap in a clean kitchen towel, and whack with a rolling pin or the flat of a heavy skillet until you have coarse, snowy shards. Loosely pack two tall collins glasses to the rim and put them in the freezer while you build the drinks.
6. In a cocktail shaker (or a sturdy 1-quart jar with a lid), add the 8 mint leaves, then the lime juice, mint syrup, chilled green tea, and 6 drops saline. Press the mint leaves gently against the side of the shaker 3 or 4 times with a muddler or wooden spoon handle — just bruise them to release oil. Shredding releases chlorophyll and makes the drink taste like lawn.
7. Fill the shaker two-thirds with cube ice, seal, and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds, until the outside frosts over. The whip of air is what gives an alcohol-free drink body.
8. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer (or the shaker's built-in strainer plus a tea strainer) into the two chilled ice-packed glasses, dividing evenly, about 4 1/2 oz each. Straining out the mint fragments keeps the drink clean-looking and stops it from turning bitter as it sits.
9. Top each glass with 3 oz cold club soda, poured slowly down the inside of the glass so it stays fizzy, then add more crushed ice to mound above the rim.
10. Slap a large mint sprig against your palm once to wake up the oils and tuck it into the ice right next to a straw so your nose meets it first. Add a lime wheel, dust the mint with a pinch of powdered sugar if you want the classic look, and serve immediately.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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