My alcoholic drink of choice this summer: the mojito.  It’s cool, refreshing, and is easily modified into a greener, sinfully balanced & satisfying cocktail.

What you’ll need:

rum

sparkling natural mineral water (I like San Pellegrino)

organic lime, halved

organic fresh mint leaves

organic raw agave nectar

ice

Directions:

Lightly bruise 4-5 mint leaves using a mortar and pestle.  (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, don’t worry, you can crinkle and lightly rub the leaves between your fingertips– this simply releases more flavor).  Pour about one shot’s worth of rum into a glass, add sparkling water, mint leaves, and ice.  Squeeze in juice from one of the lime halves and sweeten with agave nectar to your liking.  Give it a good stir.  That’s it, enjoy!

Agave nectar is an excellent healthier substitute for simple syrup, that’s usually made with highly processed white cane sugar.  It gives the drink a wonderful honey-like flavor, and because it’s sweeter than sugar you can use less.  It also has a low glycemic index, meaning it’s absorbed slower in your body and won’t cause the blood sugar spike that happens when you consume refined white sugar.

I didn’t include exact measurements because one of the beauties of this drink is that it’s all up to you.  Use more lime if you like a more sour taste, or forgo the agave nectar altogether (as I usually do) if you’re not big on sweet.  Add more rum is you’re really going for the buzz, or skip it totally for healthy a virgin cocktail.

And if you love to sip from a straw, consider a reusable one that’s made from glass, which are not nearly as damaging to the environment as the disposable plastic ones.  Pictured in the glass above is my lovely pink handmade glass straw from Many Minis.