Blended Cherry Mojitos

Cocktail Recipe.

My husband and I ended up having an impromptu gathering last Saturday night. It came together very last minute which required a mad dash to the store to pick up a couple of items. We decided to grill some chicken and shrimp for fajitas. Luckily, earlier that day I had just watched Giada make a delicious looking drink called Blended Cherry Mojitos. Since I hadn’t stopped thinking about the frosty beverage I decided this was the perfect venue to give it a whirl.

All I can say is that this is definitely my new favorite summer drink. Unfortunately the grocery store was out of frozen cherries, so I grabbed a couple bags of wild Maine blueberries. The change in berries did not make one ounce of difference, the drink was still refreshing with just the right combination of tartness and mint. A couple of guests even commented that they didn’t know why they would ever drink anything else.

Definitely give this drink a try you will not be disappointed. Two things that I will caution you about is the drink is the consistency of a slushy, so better suited for a casual get together. Due to the berries it can also leave you with a gleaming purple smile, so if you are trying to capture Kodak moments this may not be the drink for you.



Blended Cherry Mojitos

Ingredients
1 pound bag frozen pitted cherries
2 cups crushed ice, plus extra to serve
½ cup packed fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
1 cup citrus flavored rum
1 2/3 cup Lime Simple Syrup
Lime wedges and fresh cherries for garnish

Directions

Place the frozen cherries, crushed ice, mint leaves, lime juice and simple syrup in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Pour the mixture into chilled glasses and top with crushed ice. Garnish.

Lime Simple Syrup
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
3 limes, zested

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and lime zest over medium heat. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat an allow the syrup to cool.

Yield: 1 2/3 cups