Nole and I had some basil-mint syrup left over from those boozy snow cones we just made. That stuff is seriously good, so I did the natural thing and put it in a different cocktail. This one is, unsurprisingly, also really good: the Basil-Mint Mojito. There’s still some time left in summer, so go knock yourself out. – Andrew

Illustration by Shauna Lynn for Oh So Beautiful Paper

The Basil-Mint Mojito

2 oz Silver Rum

1 oz Lime Juice

1 oz Basil-Mint Syrup

Soda Water

To make the basil-mint syrup: combine a cup of fresh basil leaves and a cup of fresh mint leaves. Blanch them in boiling water for 15 seconds, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the leaves to a bowl of ice water to cool. Combine a cup of water and a cup of white sugar in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring frequently, until the sugar is melted. Combine the leaves and simple syrup in a blender and puree the leaves. Strain the mixture well. The basil-mint syrup will keep in the refrigerator for a week or two. To make the Mojito: combine the rum, lime juice, and basil-mint syrup in a highball glass filled with crushed ice. Top with chilled soda water and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Enjoy!

So here’s the deal: it’s nearly impossible to beat a Mojito made with muddled mint and fresh lime. But that same Mojito is a lot of work, with all that muddling and building in the glass, and you’re probably not going to have fresh ingredients for a Mojito every time you want one. So having an herb syrup like this on hand lets you cheat a little and capture those same flavors without all the same work. It’s also much easier to make more than one Mojito like this. Making a round of Mojitos for a party’s worth of guests is a mountain that none of us want to climb. But scaling this recipe up and making a pitcher of Mojitos is easily within reach.

Plus, look at that gorgeous green color. It’s a lot of fun to pour a drink with such ridiculously vibrant color and know that it doesn’t come from a factory. Photos by Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper