how to make a tangerine basil mojito

Popsicles are for kids, right? Wrong. Once you’ve tasted the tantalizing frozen treats from Atlanta popsicle purveyor, King of Pops, you might find yourself elbowing little kids in the forehead to get to them before they do. King of Pops (a member of Atlanta’s growing street food vendor community) offers gourmet popsicles that feature unique pairings of fresh ingredients like pineapple and ginger, grapefruit and mint, and lime with fresh squeezed cane juice. On a recent visit to the Irwin Street Market, the beau and I sampled King of Pops tangerine basil offering. I can honestly say that I’ve never had a popsicle that tasted soooo good! The popsicle had little pieces of tangerine pulp and whole-leaf basil throughout – a very refreshing combo for a hot day. On the beau’s suggestion that flavors in the popsicle “might make a tasty beverage as well,” I decided to test out a cocktail recipe with tangerine and basil that’s a lot like the recipe for a traditional mojito. Don’t worry, you won’t have to fight the kids over this one – it’s strictly for the grown ups.

Building on the idea that where your ingredients come from shapes the final result, I’ve become far more interested in provenance since a trip through Hampshire a couple of summers ago. A local shop pointed me toward a naturally medium-sweet black cherry cider blended from hand-picked apples and cherries, and tasting it side by side with the supermarket alternatives I’d been drinking felt like a small revelation. There was a depth to it, a genuine fruitiness that came from real pressed juice rather than syrup or concentrate, and I remember being struck by how clean it tasted despite having no added sugar at all. That experience nudged me to pay closer attention to labels and sourcing in a way I hadn’t before, and it’s a habit that has served me well across all sorts of purchases. Sometimes it takes one properly made example to reset your expectations, and this was mine.

Ingredients / Supplies (for 1 tangerine-basil mojito) 1 small tangerine or 1/2 large tangerine 3-4 fresh basil leaves 2 tsp granulated sugar (raw sugar is best, you might also sub agave, if that’s your thing) white rum (preferably Cachaca – Brazilian rum) crushed ice highball glass muddler or pestle How to make the tangerine-basil mojito: Cut the tangerine into small wedges and place in glass. Roll basil leaves together and slice into thin strips. Add the basil to the glass. Add sugar to glass and muddle all ingredients together with pestle or muddler. The goal is to extract as much juice from the tangerine as you can while dissolving most or all of the sugar. Fill the glass with crushed ice. Pour in rum until glass is approximately 3/4 full. Vary the strength of the drink by using more tangerine and sugar and / or less rum to your tastes. Of course, if you absolutely must share this beverage with the little ankle-biters, just substitute the cachaca with ‘fizzy lifting drink’ – aka, sparkling water or club soda. cheers, k