VIRGIN LYCHEE MOJITO

I saw the first lychees of the season and I only thought of gobbling them then and not of making a VIRGIN LYCHEE MOJITO. OMG!! how I love them. If you love lychees and if you live in South India, then you can relate to my delight. Until a couple of years ago, Lychees were lugged from Delhi by a cousin or carted in the transport and half of them would be rotten by the time they reached here. So imagine my happiness when I sighted these fresh pink beauties giving me come-hither looks at the supermarket. I grabbed a bunch and put it in my trolley. Pssssst….I actually popped one in my mouth right there.

Fruits make summers worth living through. Chilled refreshing drinks with fresh fruits are more sought after than any delectable meal. Lemonades are very adaptable. You can add many fruits to it and even the fresh flavorful Mint leaves. The exotic lychee fruit is luscious, sweet, and juicy and can be added to ice cream, salads, and cakes or even to your summer drinks. Instead of opting for a carton of juice, cola or flavoured drinks, I prefer making my own healthy concoctions which are my elixirs in summer

I ate half of the juicy lychees and thought of making some Virgin Lychee Mojito. I have fresh mint growing wild in my garden and the fridge was stocked with lemons. I like blending mocktails and mojitos are a huge favourite. Lemon and mint make for a great hydrating drink for the summer and when you add lychees to it, it just ups the refreshing taste. Make a big pitcher as you will want many refills.

With the mercury shooting up, my drink making spree was also up. I was ready to experiment with lychees, lemons, mint and sugar to create a flavorful mocktail. Fresh lychees are the best for this mocktail but you can use canned too.

Mojito is basically a rum-based drink that has mint leaves, lemon juice and sugar and is a cocktail but mine is a mocktail Virgin Mojito, using fresh lychee pulp.

Recipe for VIRGIN LYCHEE MOJITO

Ingredients

200g fresh lychees peeled and deseeded

2 tbsp lime juice

Sugar(optional)

2 cups ice cubes

1-litre water or Soda

Lime wedges

Sprigs of fresh mint

Few deseeded Lychees

Peel and pit lychees, cut into halves. Puree the lychee flesh in a blender or mixer. Add sugar if desired. Sieve the puree and spoon the mixture into tall glasses.

Muddle a few mint leaves.  Add the lemon juice and mint leaves.

Add the ice cubes. Top up with chilled water or soda, stir well and garnish with wedges of lime, sprigs of mint and deseeded lychees. Add a straw to make your Virgin Lychee Mojito more fanciful, sip and imagine yourself

Add a straw to make your Virgin Lychee Mojito more fanciful, sip and imagine lying on a deck chair and sunning on a cool beach.

If you like this Virgin Lychee Mojito do give it a try.

Happy Sipping!

Have you had a Mango Mojito  or a Mango Iced tea or even an Aam Panna iced Tea?