Savor the Flavors of Summer!

Every year on August 1st, without fail, someone flips the "Back to School" switch in my brain.  Maybe it's the teacher in me, but once August rolls around I always feel a little panicked as the lazy days of summer come to a close. 

Our summer evenings are usually spent lounging in the backyard with family and friends, sipping a cold beverage and watching the kids play in the yard as the sun slowly sets behind the mountains. Our favorite drink this summer has been the non-alcoholic Mojito. (If you've never had a mojito, check out THIS recipe. It'll change your life.) We've had a lot of fun experimenting with different flavors of mojitos over the past few weeks. This one was one of our favorites! 

This drink just embodies everything that is summer. Big juicy raspberries, mint from our garden, and freshly squeezed limes. Mmmmmmmm.... the tastes of summer!

Ingredients 

(individual serving)

7 fresh raspberries

4 fresh mint leaves

About 1 1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1 Tbsp Stevia (or you can use about 2 Tbsp sugar)

Ice Cubes

2/3 cup club soda

Finely chop up your mint leaves. Place them in your glass and press them with a pestle or the back of a spoon to release the oils. Add the sugar and press the mint leaves and sugar together. Add the lime juice and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Then add your raspberries. Mash them up pretty good, (I didn't mash mine quite enough in these pictures) then add in your club soda and ice. You can add a few extra mint leaves and raspberries if you'd like to. I like to garnish mine with a slice of lime. 

Enjoy!

 *note- you can experiment with the ratio of lime/sugar/raspberries until you find something that works for you. It's all going to depend on how sweet your limes are and how big and juicy your raspberries are etc...