It’s one thing to create a lovely refreshing cocktail but by adding a touch of mint it just goes beyond refreshing. Here’s a few cocktails with mint that will allow your friends to indulge in wonderful aromas and relax for the evening. Here’s a some of our favorite mint cocktails.
Ginger Rogers
Named after the iconic dance partner of Fred Astaire, the cocktail Ginger Rogers is a fresh, minty cocktail that will please anyone after a long day. Here’s how you’ll make one.
Your ingredients:
8 to 12 mint leaves
1/2-ounce ginger syrup
1 1/2 ounces Gin
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
Ginger ale
Lime wedge for garnish
Your method:
Using either a Collins or a pilsner glass, place the mint leaves at the bottom, then cover with syrup.
Muddle the leaves to release the aromas then fill the glass with ice.
Add the Gin and lime juice to the glass.
Stir the drink with a bar spoon from the bottom up.
Garnish your cocktail with the wedge of lime.
Origins
Some people credit the drink to Marcovaldo Dionysos but he actually credits the drink to Zefiro in Portland. It was created there in 1995 yet it was made more popular at Absinthe which opened in 1998.
Marcovaldo’s friend Kathy Flick worked at Zefiro and Marcovaldo once bought in a book called ‘Drinks’ by Jacques Straub. The two of them experimented with drinks and just added more ginger to the original ‘Ginger Rogers’. Marcovaldo Dionysos then opened Absinthe in San Francisco and the ‘new’ Ginger Rogers was a runaway hit.
Lady Grey
Do you fancy laying back in a hammock whilst sipping on a mint cocktail? Not only will you get the mint freshness in this drink, you’ll also love the black tea that excludes and enhances flavor.
Your ingredients:
3 cups vodka
1 1/2 cups fresh juice from 10-12 lemons
1 1/2 cups Fresh Ginger Syrup
4 cups chilled Earl Grey Tea
1 cup fresh mint leaves
8 lemon wheels
Your method:
Too easy this one!
Combine most of the ingredients including vodka, lemon juice, ginger syrup and tea into a large pitcher.
Add some ice/ice cubes, mint leaves and lemon wheels.
Give a gentle stir, leave to rest for 2 minutes before serving.
Origins
The history involves Earl and Lady Grey from Britain who are more famous for their Earl Grey tea. The tea actually grew in popularity due to Lady Grey as she was the one that would entertain guests with their wonderful tea.
As Earl Grey tea is one of the main ingredients of this cocktail, it only seemed polite to name the cocktail after Lady Grey.
Mojito
An original Cuban creation that mixed with Rum becomes one hell of a nice drink, if you are a Rum fan that is. Easy to create and nice on the palette.
Your ingredients:
60mL Rum
30mL Lime Juice
25mL Sugar Syrup
6-8 Mint Leaves
60mL Soda
Your method:
Using a highball glass, add the mint leaves and sugar syrup.
Give a slight muddle with a bar spoon to release the mint flavors.
Place a good handful of ice into the glass.
Add the lime juice, then the Rum.
Fill the rest with the Soda measure and stir.
Origins
There are plenty of theory’s as to how the Mojito came about but all believe the drink was invented in Cuba. One such theory believes that African slaves that worked in the Cuban sugar cane fields contributed to the drinks origin as it was very popular amongst them.
Others think it originated in the 16th century when Sir Frances Drake used to consume a similar drink called “El Draque”. This similar drink was used to help an epidemic of scurvy and dysentery and was made by local Indians in Havana.
Whatever the real history of the Mojito, it hasn’t gone out of favor with todays cocktail sippers.
Mint Julep
The Mint Julep gives a unique taste due to the mixture of Bourbon with the aroma of mint. It’s very simple to make as there are not many ingredients, but you can still get it wrong if the dilution mixture is not right. This is one cocktail you may want to taste test as you are creating.
Mint Julep’s are created in their own Julep cup. Therse are different to your Moscow Mule mugs that are made of copper.
Your ingredients:
6-7 Mint leaves
75mL (2.5oz) Bourbon
1 teaspoon Raw Sugar
Your method:
Position your mint leaves, and sugar in the base of the julep cup.
Muddle the ingredients with your bar spoon to release minty aromas.
Add crushed ice to your glass and add the Bourbon.
Stir well.
Top a small amount of crushed ice and mint leaf sprig for garnish.
Origins
Even though the Mint Julep is known as the drink of the Kentucky Derby, it’s thought that the drink itself was introduced well beforehand in the 18th century. Henry Clay (a US senator) made the drink known at a bar called the ‘Round Robin Bar’ in Washington DC.
But even before this, the mint Julep appeared in a book written by John Davis in 1803 but the ingredients we’re never specified.
Again, speculation will always be around but the drink will always be associated with the famous Kentucky Derby.
