I learned a new word this week. We had friends rent a beach house nearby, and they invited us over to porch. This is what we do almost every weekend, and I am so glad I now have a name for it. Porching is when neighbors wander from house to house on a warm summer evening and sit on the front porch to socialize. Cocktails encouraged. We porched this week with Basil Mojitos. They are delicious.

Ingredients

• 2 T. simple syrup
• 1 shot fresh lime juice
• 1 shot white rum
• 6-10 basil leaves
• crushed ice
• soda water
• lime wedges

Directions

• Place the simple syrup, rum, lime juice, 2 lime wedges, and the basil in a tall sturdy glass and bash with a muddler or the back of a spoon until the basil leaves and lime wedges are mashed up.
• Fill the glass with crushed ice.
• Top with soda water.
• Garnish with a fresh basil leaf and a lime wedge.
• Ingredients list makes one large mojito. Increase amounts as needed.

Notes

• To make simple syrup, Put equal parts water and sugar in a pot and heat on the stove until sugar is dissolved. Swirl the mixture a few times while heating. Remove from heat and let cool. If you only need a few cocktails, mix 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. If you are mixing cocktails for a large group, double or triple. Leftover simple syrup can be kept in a container with a lid in the refrigerator for a long time.
• If you want to make a Strawberry Mojito, replace the lime wedges and the basil with strawberries and mint.
• If you want to make a Cranberry Mojito, visit this post.