Minty Mojito

St. Patrick's Day is fun, but it's a little bit of a silly holiday if you ask me. I'm not really sure why we celebrate it; I figure it's because St. Patrick was a really cool guy back in the day, and super into shamrocks, leprechauns, drinking and all things green. I know it's more serious than that, and I've heard the real story a few times, but for some reason it never sticks. You can bet I'll be educating myself about this holiday for the 50th time via Google right after this post.

Even though I consider St. Patrick's Day to be a filler holiday, I still think it's a fun reason to spend your day surrounded with green, make corned beef and cabbage or other Irish dish, and drink a few more beers than usual. It's also fun to break out the green food coloring and add it to a few recipes! This simple cocktail uses mint syrup to make it extra minty, and if you'd like to get extra festive, I used a drop of green food coloring to celebrate St. Patty's Day properly. 

Minty Mojito: 

2 ounces light (clear) rum

club soda

2 tbs mint syrup

mint leaves

fresh lime juice

ice

food coloring (optional)

1. Add about 10-15 fresh mint leaves to tall glass and mint syrup. Muddle mint leaves so essential oils combine with syrup.

2. Add ice,  rum and lime juice from half a lime. Fill the rest of glass with club soda. Top with fresh lime wedge and add one drop food coloring if desired.