Name: Summer Berry Mojito
Yield: 1 cocktail
Ingredients: 2 oz (60 ml) white rum (Havana Club, Plantation 3 Stars, or Flor de Caña 4); 1 oz (30 ml) fresh lime juice (about 1 lime); ¾ oz (22 ml) simple syrup; 6-8 fresh mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish; ¼ cup (about 6-8) mixed fresh berries (strawberries quartered, raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries); 2 oz (60 ml) club soda; Crushed ice

Summer Berry Mojito

The mojito is Cuba's gift to summer — rum, lime, mint, sugar, and soda, built right in the glass. This version muddled with fresh berries turns it from a beach bar standard into something that actually tastes like the season. Use whatever berries are ripest at the market — the recipe is a framework,

Ingredients

2 oz (60 ml) white rum (Havana Club, Plantation 3 Stars, or Flor de Caña 4)
1 oz (30 ml) fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
¾ oz (22 ml) simple syrup
6-8 fresh mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
¼ cup (about 6-8) mixed fresh berries (strawberries quartered, raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries)
2 oz (60 ml) club soda
Crushed ice

Method

**Muddle.** Place the berries, mint leaves, and simple syrup in the bottom of a tall highball glass. Press gently with a muddler — you want to bruise the mint and crush the berries enough to release their juice, not pulverize them into mush. 6-8 gentle presses.
**Add the rum and lime.** Pour in the rum and lime juice. Stir briefly to combine.
**Add crushed ice.** Pack the glass with crushed ice (to crush ice: wrap cubes in a clean towel and smack with a rolling pin or heavy pan).
**Top with club soda.** Pour it down the side. Stir gently from the bottom up to distribute the berry color.
**Garnish** with a generous mint sprig (slap it first) and a few whole berries threaded on a cocktail pick.
*Variations:**
**Strawberry-Basil Mojito**: Use strawberries only, replace mint with basil.
**Blackberry-Sage Mojito**: Use blackberries, replace mint with 3-4 sage leaves.
**Batch Berry Mojito (for 8)**: Muddle 2 cups berries with 1 cup mint in a pitcher. Add 2 cups rum, 1 cup lime juice, ¾ cup syrup. Top individual glasses with soda.
*Storage:** Serve immediately. Mojitos don't hold — the mint turns dark and the carbonation dies.