It’s a mimosa. No, wait – it’s a mojito. Actually, it’s the best of both worlds! Champagne is my favorite alcoholic beverage and mojitos are one of my favorite cocktails, so when I saw this recipe for Champagne Mojitos on my online Food and Wine feed — Boom! I knew I had to make these. I tweaked the recipe a bit and added some fresh clementines, just to bring in the mimosa aspect. Plus, I just happen to have a lot of clementines on hand.

These cocktails are perfect for your holiday breakfast or brunch. Double the recipe to keep your guests happy! And if you’re interested in some of my other recipes for mojitos, check out the end of this post for links to some of my favs.

Ingredients (6 -8 servings)

• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 25 to 30 mint leaves, roughly torn
• 1 large lime, cut into wedges
• 2 clementines, peeled and segmented
• 1.5 cups rum (I used regular Bacardi)
• ½ bottle Champagne or sparkling white wine
• Mint sprigs for garnish

Preparation

Place sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, remove immediately and cool.

Place lime and clementine pieces in a cocktail shaker.

Add mint leaves and simple syrup.

Muddle for several minutes, until the fruit and mint are significantly mushed.

Add the rum, place the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously for at least a minute. Strain the rum mixture into a pitcher filled with a cup or so of ice. Once you think you have strained all of the liquid, muddle the fruit and mint again, and re-strain into the pitcher.

Add half a bottle of champagne/sparkling wine and stir well.

Garnish with fresh mint springs, toast the person you’re drinking with, and thank the drink goddesses for this awesome libation!

Fa La La La La!

Here are links to some of my favorite Mojito recipes:

Check out my recipe for Berry Berry Mojitos

Or my refreshing Cucumber Melon Mojitos

Please, always remember to drink and drive responsibly.

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

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