More Fun with Garden Herbs

Remember yesterday when we had a serious discussion about what to do with all that basil? Well, it is far more likely that if you have planted mint anytime in the last 5 years, you still have sprigs of mint popping up all over your yard. So go gather it up and let's get to work.

Tales of the Cocktail is about a month away according to this astrological chart next to me desk. This time of year a young man's thoughts naturally turn to ice cold drinks sipped pool side as one whiles away the days til school starts again. Alas, hark the herald angels sing that tune no more. Face it, once you stop getting summers off, summer is just a hotter version of winter. But you can still find time to drink those frosty beverages you plowed through when you were twenty years old. But let's try and class it up a bit, shall we?

For this drink, I wanted to combine the classic Daiquiri (rum, sugar water, lime) with the minty refreshment of a mint julep. To do this, begin by making a simple syrup. One cup water, one cup sugar, simmered until all the sugar is dissolved. To this, add about two handfuls of mint, which you have slightly bruised by rubbing between your hands. Your hands should now smell better than your first kiss. Let the mint steep for an hour or so, then strain into a bowl. Take the minty sugar syrup and freeze in a ice cream maker or just place into the freezer. Pretty soon you have a slightly frozen mint packed flavor bomb.

Into a cocktail shaker add one teaspoon of the mint sorbet, the juice of one lime, and 2 ounces of rum. I had dark rum, so that is what I used, but white rum would probably be better. Shake, strain into a chilled coupe. Now, see you don't need ice because the sorbet is freezing cold, literally. The result is something akin to a frozen daiquiri without having to wear Ed Hardy shirts.

You could easily drop this mint sorbet into a glass and cover with bourbon. Some people would call that a mint julep, but the Pope calls it dessert.