Laylita's Recipes

I wanted to make a 12th Man cocktail to serve at our Super Bowl party, and as soon as I found kiwis, blueberries, and a big pack of mint I knew it had to be a mojito. I was out of rum and found Pacific Rum (from Oregon) that would be perfect for a Pacific Northwest themed cocktail. To make this kiwi blueberry mojito, I used half of the fruit to make the drink and used the other half as garnishes. I crushed the kiwis in a food processor; I wanted them to be smooth with a bit of consistency. I didn’t want the blueberries to turn into a purple puree, so I simply crushed them with a muddler.
I like my mojitos to be full of mint leaves, so I usually use a large 4 oz pack of mint for a pitcher of mojitos for 6-8 people. However, it’s not always easy to find large packs or bundles of mint, so you can use less in that case. I don’t like to crush the mint leaves when I make fruity mojitos (but will do so for classic mojitos); they give enough minty taste to balance out with the fruit without having to crush them. The amounts listed for sugar and rum are based on my preference, so feel free to adjust based on your preference. I tend to prefer drinks that aren’t too sweet so my sugar proportions are on the lower end. You can also replace the sugar with honey or your choice of sweetener, or if the fruit is very sweet you can also leave it out completely.

My kids are so happy about the Seahawks, so obviously I had to also make a mocktail variation of this drink so that they could celebrate. This kiwi blueberry mojito is very easy to turn into a mocktail, just leave out the rum and you will have a yummy kiwi blueberry mint mocktail for the kids or anyone that doesn’t drink alcohol.

Kiwi Blueberry Mojito

Makes 6-8 drinks

Kiwi blueberry mojito or 12th man cocktail - in honor of the Seahawks 12th Man, made with fresh kiwis, blueberries, lime, mint leaves, sparkling water and rum.

Ingredients

• 6 kiwis, peeled and cut in half or quartered
• 4 kiwis, peeled and sliced - to be used as garnishes
• 6 ounces of blueberries, to be crushed
• 6 ounce of blueberries, to be kept whole as garnishes
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice, from 1-2 limes
• ~ ½ cup sugar, adjust to taste
• 4 ounce pack of mint, leaves only
• 1 ½ - 2 cups of sparkling water
• 1 to 1 ½ cups of rum, adjust based on your preference
• Ice as needed
• Blue and/or green sugar to decorate glass rims
•  

Instructions

1. Place the cut kiwis in a small food processor with the sugar and lime juice, pulse until you have coarse puree. Mix the kiwi puree with the rum, you can start by adding the lower amount and then adjust as you prepare the drink.
2. Gently crush the first 6 ounces of blueberries using a muddler.
3. You can make the mojitos in pitcher or in individual glasses. 
4. Moisten the rims of the glasses with a slice of lime and garnish the rims with the sugar. If you can’t find blue and/or green sugar, you can use blue/green cookie sugar sprinkles.
5. To make it in a pitcher, pour the kiwi puree into the pitcher, add a layer of ice, add a good amount of mint leaves and kiwi slices. Next add a few more ice cubes, and then add the crushed blueberries, some more mint leaves and whole blueberries. Top off with the sparkling water and mix gently. Taste and add more rum, sparkling water, or sugar if needed.
6. To make the drink in individual glasses, follow a similar process as for the pitcher, but add a few whole blueberries at the beginning. You can also add a slice of kiwi with the blueberries at the end.

Notes

To make this as a mocktail variation, just leave out the rum and replace it with additional sparkling water or sparkling lemonade.

Laylita was kind enough to let us share her recipe. Head to her blog for more.