Pitcher Mojitos

Al and Cathy came over for dinner last week - it was a hot night and we decided to eat in the screened in porch, mojitos seemed like the perfect thing to serve with the appetizer "everything" cheese ball I made (click here for that post). I've never made them before because I felt like there was going to be too many steps, but I was wrong - these are easy and simple to whip up, and making them in a pitcher meant we weren't making one at a time and could enjoy seconds with no hassle.

you'll need:
1/2 cup white sugar (note: I used raw natural sugar)
36 fresh mint leaves, plus more for (optional) garnish
3 limes, quartered
1 cup white rum (ok, ok, I added more than this)
1 liter club soda

directions:
Muddle sugar and mint leaves together in pitcher until leaves are well broken down. Add limes and muddle until limes are juiced. (note: I used a potato masher to muddle - basically "muddling" is just smashing it all up!) Stir rum into sugar mixture, add club soda and stir. Serve over ice and garnish with additional mint leaves if desired.

note: I added at least another 1/2 cup of rum (there wasn't much left in the bottle after using the 1 cup as listed). It was a little strong but tasted good! If you stick with the 1 cup I would probably not add as much club soda so it doesn't get too watered down.

I found the recipe here.