It is definitely summer time in the Miss-Lou. Hot, humid make you sticky before you can run from the house to the car.

So if you are looking for a couple of fun summertime drinks to indulge in I have two that will be perfect. The first one has been around a long time but unless you make a run now an then to Cuba or Miami you might not have been familiar with it. It is the Mojito, and it came to Key West courtesy of the late author Hemingway who picked it up in Cuba.

Mojito

2 ounces fresh lime juice

4 to 10 mint leaves

2 ounces white rum

2 oz club soda

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

1 sprig of mint

Place the mint leaves and the sugar in the bottom of a Collins glass. Use a muddler or the back of spoon to slightly crush the mint leaves. It should take a bout a half a minute for the smell of mint to reach you. Add the rum and the lime juice. Mix again using the muddler or the spoon. Fill the glass with crushed ice and then stir in the club soda. Use the sprig of mint as a garnish.

After you make the above drink and fall in love with it you will want a quicker way to make this for guests. This next recipe is from Bobby Flay and makes it a breeze to serve more than one.

Mojito Limeade

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs for garnish

2 limes, cut into wedges, plus more for garnish

2 cups crushed ice, plus more for serving

1 cup Lime-Mint Syrup, see below

1 liter white rum

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

Club soda

Muddle the mint leaves and lime wedges with 2 cups crushed ice in the bottom of a large pitcher. Add Lime-Mint Syrup, rum, lime juice, and more ice. Top off with club soda, to taste. Pour into glasses over ice and serve. Garnish each glass with a lime wedge and mint sprigs, if desired.

Lime-Mint Syrup:

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

2 limes, zested

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, stir in the lime zest and mint, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to infuse the syrup with the flavor of lime and mint. Strain out the mint and zest and refrigerate the syrup, covered, until cold.

Adapted from Boy Meets Grill

And last but not least is a cocktail that I only became familiar with last summer. This drink comes from Brazil and is made a sugar cane brandy named Cachaca (ka-sha-sa) and the drink itself is called a Caipirinha (ky-pee-reen-ya). Next time you see a travel add for Brazil you won’t have to wonder want they are smiling about.

Caipirinha

1 lime

2 ounces of cachaca

Sugar to taste

Ice cubes

Wash the lime and roll it on the board to loosen the juices. Cut the lime into pieces and place them in a glass. Sprinkle with the sugar and crush the pieces (pulp side up) with a pestle, you can use the back of a wooden spoon. Just enough to release the juice, otherwise it’ll get bitter. Add the cachaa and stir to mix. Add the ice and stir again. It is delicious and potent!

Christina Hall writes a weekly column for The Democrat. She can be reached at christina.hall@natchezdemocrat.com.