Friday's Gluten Free Cocktail: Mojitos

If it's a sweltering 90 degrees and what feels like 100% humidity where you are, I can wholeheartedly recommend a nice, refreshing mojito. The mint-fueled drink is crisp and once the liquid runs out, you still have the leftover mint leaves to munch on to provide a much needed reprieve from the heat. It's obviously not this hot in San Francisco, but our mint patch is a bit overzealous and so I have deemed this summer "Mojito summer." And, when I was in DC on what everyone claimed was one of the first really humid days of the year, I enjoyed this delicious mojito at the former Hotel Washington, revived into a W hotel complete with a very swanky roofdeck and drinks to match.

Just in case you can't run out to a fancy roofdeck this weekend to enjoy this Friday cocktail, here's my recipe!

Mojitos

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
soda water
light rum
lots and lots of muddled mint

Make a simple syrup with the sugar and water. If you're making a large batch of mojitos, adjust the amount of water and sugar. It should be a one to one ratio. Let the simple syrup cool.

Load a frosted glass with ice. The W used these beautiful tumblers and it gave this super rustic feel. Pour one shot (or two if you're feeling really crazy!) of light rum over the ice. Toss in some muddled mint. Follow with simple syrup until the glass is about 2/3 full. Toss in more muddled mint. Top with soda water. Add a mint sprig to the top of the glass. Stir and enjoy!