Omg lychees are finally here. I am so excited while I write up this post on virgin lychee ginger mojito . If you love lychees and if you live in the states you might relate to my happiness . Lychees are difficult to source here. Last year I couldn’t find any. But when I went to the Indian grocery store yesterday , to my surprise there was a big stash of lychees sitting right in front of me . I was so happy and then and there I bought a big bunch of them.
We love having lychees right out of the box but so many delicious things can be made using them. It’s summer time here , so what’s better than a chilled refreshing drink. The easiest I could think of is lemonade. Adding fruits in your lemonade makes it taste so much better. I have shared one previously , if you are interested you may click on peach basil lemonade here.
I thought why not make the lemonade more fun. I just got a beautiful basil plant to enjoy the herb all summer long . So thought of infusing basil in the drink too. And how about some ginger , lychees and ginger pairs up so well . Ginger just brings out the flavors of lychee so beautifully. So finally decided to make some virgin lychee ginger mojito. Virgin because it has no alcohol . But feel free to add in you favorite one.
Be it any season , mojitos makes a great welcome drink at any party or get together . It makes a nice hydrating drink for the summer’s . Making a perfect mojito at home is no big deal. With few fresh ingredients and some pre preparation mojito is a breeze to make and entertain your guests. Don’t forget to make a big batch as you will expect loads of refills.
If lychees aren’t available you may use your favorite seasonal juicy fruit or medley of fruits.
You may also use canned fruits , just purée/crush them and use or even use ready fruit syrups . But let me tell you one thing , fresh fruits tastes the best .
This easy virgin Mojito drink is broken in 5 parts-
Firstly the simple syrup . Here I have made ginger simple syrup
Simple syrup is nothing but sugar syrup that is equal amounts of water and sugar 1:1 ratio mixed and simmered on a low flame for 10 minutes. Pass it through a sieve, cool it down completely and chill until use. For ginger syrup I have simply added freshly grated ginger .
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
This syrup can be pre prepared in big batches and stored in the fridge for a long time which comes in handy to make drinks within minutes.
Secondly fresh lemon wedges, desired seasonal fruit ,desired herb
All the above will be muddled roughly so that the herbs, fruits and lemon release its juices and flavors meddle in .It can be done serving wise – in individual glasses or all in one – in a big sturdy bowl.
Thirdly fresh lemon juice
It’s important to use freshly squeezed lemons for a great tasting mojito
Fourthly some water ( can use crushed fruit purée for extra fruity flavor)
I love to quickly purée a portion of fruit to be used for more fruity flavor, but it’s completely optional
Fifthly some sparkling water/club soda .
Yes , sodaaaaaaa!!! you need the fizz.
Plus loads of ice.
Do try this recipe before lychee season is gone . Or else substitute it with your seasonal favorites.
Happy Summers!
Virgin lychee ginger mojito
Ingredients
- 3 lychees deseeded
- 1 lemon wedges / thin slices deseeded
- 3-4 basil leaves roughly torn
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons simple ginger syrup*
- two pinches rock salt / normal salt
- 3 tablespoon lychee puree
- ¼ cup or more cold water
- sparkling water/club soda
- 3-4 cubes of ice
- chiffonade basil for garnish optional
Instructions
- Muddle first 6 ingredients in a glass with back of a spoon or a muddler until the basil and lychees are crushed a bit . Say for 30 seconds .
- Now top it with ice cubes.
- Next pour in the lychee puree and some water .
- Just before serving. Fill in the glass with sparkling water/ club soda.
- Garnish it with more basil if required .
- Stir well before drinking.
Notes
Lychee can be substituted with any seasonal juicy fruit.
You can add maple syrup or honey too and skip the syrup. Just add more water.
This recipe makes single serving.
This recipe can easily be made in big batches.
You can substitute basil with other herbs like fresh mint, rosemary or thyme.
Adding salt is optional.
Nutrition
Hope you like this recipe and do give it a try. I would love to hear from you. If you have tried any of my recipes do drop in a feedback in the comment section or on my Facebook page carveyourcraving in messages section and follow me on Pinterest .
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Happy cooking!
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Thanks for stopping by.
A friend recommended this recipe. So good!
GLad you liked it Emma!
Hi- can I use canned lychees?
Yes Nidhi you can . Just adjust the sugar accordingly
Fabulous stuff ! Admire your cooking
Thank you:)
How do you muddle the whole 3 lychees with the other ingredients? Do you chop it in small pieces?
Hey Jalpa , when you deseed the lychees they do split up into pieces. This makes it easier to muddle them 🙂