This strawberry basil mojito is by far the best mojito I have ever had. And I’m sure that when you try it, you will say the same too.
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It’s not just that this cocktail combines three ingredients that I definitely adore. First, Ron de Venezuela, my beloved home country; strawberries, one of my favorite non-tropical fruits; and basil, an herb I couldn’t live without. Sweet strawberries give this mojito its beautiful, bright guava color. The surprising notes of basil on the palate make it simply irresistible. No doubt this is the perfect concoction for spring and summer.
A Signature’s Recipe
The creator of this concoction is Charlotte Voisey. Because she was the one who came up with the idea of innovating by mixing strawberries and basil with rum, I’m going to tell you about this mixologist. It is time for those of us who write about cocktails and enjoy sipping them, to honor bartenders and mixologists. After all, they are the ones who make every hour a happy hour. So here I go.
Charlotte is an outstanding London mixologist. She lives in New York City after having worked in London, Barcelona, and Buenos Aires. In New York, she runs the Kenmare bar in Soho. She also represents Hendrick’s gin from William Grant & Sons in the US.
In 2002, she opened the Apartment 195 cocktail bar on King’s Road. That same year, Apartment 195 was chosen as London Bar of the Year. In 2004, she was recognized as Bartender of the Year in the UK. In 2006, she won the silver medal at the World Competition for Women Bartenders in Italy, and in 2008 her “Punch & Judy” was selected as the cocktail of the year by a panel of judges and mixologists peers at Tales of the Cocktail.
She is part of a movement that changed the face of mixology in London. Her creations, true signature drinks, are listed on the menus of the best bars around the world. In 2005, when she was still working in London, she created this strawberry basil mojito with Ron de Venezuela, specifically Santa Teresa Añejo (known in Venezuela as Gran Reserva).
How to Make Strawberry Basil Mojito
Thanks to modern mixology, it is not a sin anymore to use Premium rums to mix and shake. The first time I made this mojito, I made it with Santa Teresa Selecto, an extra-aged rum that is wonderful to mix.
When I made the video with the recipe (11 years after publishing this post) I did it with white rum, Bacardi to be exact, as it was the one I had on hand. However, I must clarify this cocktail was specially created for Añejo, which, incidentally, is an extraordinary rum to mix with fruits.
In addition to good rum and sweet seasonal strawberries, fresh basil is required to make this mojito. After I first prepared it in May 2010, we planted six additional basil plants, just to ensure a supply of fresh leaves at any time. Thank goodness we live in sunny Southern California and can have fresh basil from our own garden most of the year.
The original recipe omits the lemon. Strawberries, although sweet, provide the necessary acidity to this cocktail that is simply sublime in flavor and color. The author also suggests sugar for sweetening. I used artificial sweeteners at first but more recently I have opted for monk fruit which although it sweetens a little less than sugar, does not leave a bitter aftertaste and contains zero calories.
Besides the above mentioned ingredients, to make this recipe you’ll need the following:
- Wooden cutting board
- Knife
- Immersion blender
- Jigger
- Shaker
- Bar spoon
- Collins glasses
- Stainless steel straws
Strawberry Basil Mojito Recipe
What follows is my version of Charlotte Voisey’s strawberry basil mojito. I hope you like it as much as I do. Thank you for subscribing to my YouTube channel and for visiting my Amazon store.
Cheers!
Strawberry Basil Mojito
Ingredients
- 1½ oz golden or white rum
- 1 tablespoon Monk Fruit
- 3 large strawberries cut into halves
- 6-8 fresh basil leaves
- soda or carbonated water
Instructions
- In the vase of an immersion blender, place the strawberries and puree.
- Transfer the strawberry puree to a shaker, break up the basil leaves with your fingers and add them along with the monk fruit to the shaker.
- Muddle all ingredients.
- Add the rum, plenty of crushed ice, cover the shaker and shake vigorously, until the outside has condensed.
- Strain and serve in a tall glass over crushed ice.
- Complete with soda or carbonated water, stir and decorate with a sprig of basil and a strawberry.
Video
Nutrition
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I first published this post back on July 2010. Following are my first pictures.
