Tarakona Mojito

 

 

Serves 6

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• 2 litres boiling water

• 4 tsp Silver Needles tea leaves

• 1 tsp Matariki tea leaves

• 2 cups fresh mint leaves, packed (plus more for garnish)

• ½ cup fresh lemon juice

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 cup good quality rum (I use Bacardi Gold)

• For garnish (optional):

• Fresh mint sprigs

• 1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeds removed

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• Boil 2 litres of water in a kettle or a pot. When boiling, remove from the heat and add the tea  and the fresh mint leaves. Cover and allow to steep for at least 30 minutes. 

• While your tea is steeping, heat sugar and fresh lemon juice until the sugar dissolves and the liquid becomes clear. Set aside.

• Once the tea is steeped, strain it into a large pitcher, discarding the mint and tea leaves. Mix in the lemon simple syrup and refrigerate until cool.

• When your iced tea is cool, add some fresh mint and lemon slices to the pitcher if you like. You can now pour the rum into the pitcher OR you can add rum to individual cocktails.

• Serve your iced tea over ice. Garnish with a lemon slice or two and a sprig of fresh mint for flair.