Grapefruit Mint Mojitos

I’m getting old. I turned 26 last month so no, not really old. But the kind of old where I have no patience for being bumped by strangers at bars, waiting in lines outside of clubs or pretending like I wouldn’t rather spend that $18 cocktail money on some nice pottery. I’m the kind of old where day drinking and the luxuries of bottomless brunching explain why the weekend is better than any club going up on a Tuesday. Make that a casual brunch at home with these grapefruit mint mojitos and you have my perfect weekend celebration.

I came up with this drink about a year ago after being taught the basics of mojito making by a friend. It was a particularly stressful work-from-home evening and I had rum and mint in the house but no limes or club soda. Taking a shot of the rum and getting back to work would have been far too aggressive, so I scrambled to find a mixer. Fresh grapefruit? It had the citrus element to replace the limes and the juiciness to make the club soda unnecessary. Perfect.

Shake, smile and enjoy yourself!

Aside from being smooth and sweet to sip, this drink is really fun to make because of all the action. You get to pound (muddle) the mint with the sugar. Then go to town gripping and squishing all the juice from each grapefruit half. Finally, shake! I like to use a mason jar so I can see the sugar stuck on the bottom. Shake until that’s all mixed in. I think all of the silly action is half the de-stressing of the cocktail!

Take out all of your stress on the grapefruit. A little giggling is mandatory.

So enjoy this mojito on a weekend morning or just after work to chill out from the crazies. Pound, squish, shake, sip, savor and smile!

First step: muddle the mint and sugar in a jar or shaker.

Step 2: add rum. This recipe is probably two drinks worth but sip and savor!

Step 3: Fresh grapefruit juice!

Keep squeezing and smiling.

Seriously, you could use a tool for this…but this is WAY more fun.

Step 4: Pour the juice over the ice and rum.

Step 5: SHAKE. More laughter is required.

Mason jars are the best.

Step 6: Pour into a collins glass.

Step 7: Garnish with grapefruit.

And there you have it! If you have as much fun making (and drinking) this mojito as I did, share your pics on Instagram with #RunawayApricot!

All photos by Sadé Clacken Joseph.

Print Recipe

Grapefruit Mint Mojitos

Servings: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 8 springs mint
• 1 heaping tablespoon of sugar
• Juice of half a pink grapefruit
• 6 ice cubes
• 3 ounces white rum from 2 shot glasses
• Quartered and sliced grapefruit for garnish

Instructions

• Add the mint and sugar to a mason jar or sturdy glass. Use a muddler to pound the mint and release the oils. Cut the grapefruit in half crosswise and squeeze to get all of the juices in a bowl. Add the ice cubes to the jar and pour in grapefruit juice and rum. Close the lid and shake or stir vigorously until the sugar at the bottom has dissolved. Pour into a collins glass and garnish with quartered and sliced grapefruit.