Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Strawberry Basil Mojito... and a giveaway!


*The giveaway has now ended.

I was contacted a couple weeks ago by the publisher of a book entitled DIY Cocktails: A Simple Guide to Creating Your Own Signature Drinks, asking if I would be interested in reviewing it for my blog.

(PS I know there are many bloggers out there whose in-boxes are brimming with emails like this, but me... not so much.)

I responded, "Sounds great, I will give my honest opinion though - if you're still interested, here's my address."

And... then I ever heard back.

So imagine my surprise when I get home from work on Friday evening to find a copy of the book on my doorstep!

Which was extra great because as I've said before, I'm not much of a drinker - so if I'm gonna do it, 95% of the time it's on the weekend.

Saturday afternoon I thumbed through, checking out all the photos and recipe titles, and the Strawberry Basil Mojito jumped out at me.  (Much like coconut and chocolate peanut butter, you can always entice me with a recipe that has fresh strawberries.)


The recipe definitely did not disappoint, and honestly neither did the book.  What I like about it is the fact that along with the recipe they give you the ratio of ingredients that should be in the drink- like '3 parts strong, 2 parts sweet, 1 part sour' etc.

This is an especially handy tool for people (i.e. me) who need Cocktails for Dummies because they have no idea what goes well with what.

For this one I just followed the recipe exactly as it was printed, but it's nice to have the option to customize your beverage with different ingredients using the ratios as a guide.

Hence the name "DIY Cocktails" I suppose?  (Ah ha!)

I also specifically looked up Sangria, another of my favorite adult beverages, and they have a lot of tips for putting flavors together.

All in all... this Cocktail Dummy gives the book two thumbs up.

So while I was feeling sassy on mojitos, I decided it would be fun to do a giveaway of the book (sponsored by yours truly by the way - I'm just barely cool enough to get one copy of the book for free so let's not push it.)

If you are interested in entering the giveaway, please leave me a comment below telling me your favorite cocktail... and make sure you leave me a way to contact you if it's not in your Google profile!

To get extra entries, you can also:

  • become a follower of V&B, and leave me another comment telling me you became one or you already are
  • follow Vittles & Bits on Twitter and leave me a comment that you did or that you're already doing so
  • "like" Vittles & Bits on Facebook and leave me a comment that you did or that you're already a fan

You'll get one entry for each of the above.  I will choose the winning comment randomly - which means Pam you can enter the giveaway too (that's my mother-in-law :).  The giveaway ends this Sunday, May 15 at noon, EST and I'll announce the winner later that day.

So get to it.

And if you're not interested in entering, I'm not hatin' ... but give the Strawberry Basil Mojito a try anywho.  It has fruit & green things in it so technically it's good for you.

At least that's what I like to tell myself?

Strawberry Basil Mojito

  • 3 basil leaves, torn
  • 3 small strawberries, sliced
  • 1 1/2 oz. white rum
  • 1 oz. simple syrup (see note below)
  • 1/2 oz. lime juice (from 1/2 medium lime)
  • 4 oz. club soda

Muddle basil, strawberries, and simple syrup at the bottom of a highball or Collins glass.  Add rum and lime juice, then fill with ice.  Top off with club soda.

*To make a simple syrup, you can place 1 part sugar with 1 part water in jar or coverable bottle and shake vigorously until sugar is dissolved.  If making in advance, you can also boil water, then add sugar & simmer until dissolved.

Recipe from DIY Cocktails, by Marcia Simmons & Jonas Halpren

Note: While I did receive a copy of the book, I did not receive any other compensation to write this post- the opinions are my own.

36 comments:

  1. I want like eight of these lol Genius! Love it

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  2. I love how basil is becoming popular in drinks now! This sounds like it would be so refreshing too. I want to add some ginger in there too- but I wonder if that would be "too much"?

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  3. Margaritas, hands down!

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  4. Favorite cocktail...well, in the summer a Tanqueray and Tonic, but in the winter a Dirty Martini!

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  5. I'm a follower of vittles and bits!

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  6. Totally fabulous (the cocktail & the giveaway!) I personally flop between a simple whisky coke when I'm being lazy and a blended strawberry margarita when I'm not...mmmmm...

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  7. I am following you on twitter!

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  8. Right now we've been making grapefruit juice with vodka and lemon juice ice cubes. We have to do something with all of those grapefruits! The other day my brother, ever the budding bartender, added blackberry juice, orange juice, and a splash of San Pelligrino. Super yum. Probably because it was more juice than vodka. haha.

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  9. That's pretty cool, sounds like a great book! I wish I'd get some emails like that too, so I know what you mean. I've been a follower of yours for a while, I really enjoy your blog.

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  10. I'm following you on Twitter now, I'm @soonerpsych!

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  11. My favorite just happens to be a mojito and I love experimenting with different flavors for them. My current favorite is passionfruit. I could only wish that my email box had something to review or giveaway.

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  12. I am now following via Google Friend Connect.

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  13. In the age of email it's always fun to receive something other than a bill in the post. My favourite cocktail is the basil mojitos my sister-in-law makes so this one is right up my street. Gonna make it with strawberries next time.

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  14. Lime mojitos (virgin, though...I'm an alcohol party pooper!)

    Interesting combo, basil and strawberries...

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  15. Looks delicious and refreshing! I had a basil and maple syrup mojito not too long ago - I'm liking the basil showing up in drinks more and more! I bet it would taste yummy with watermelon too. Sounds like you had fun with the book. I'm following. Have a great day!

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  16. My favorite drink is anything with rum!
    rachelgrant2008@yahoo.com

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  17. While in Dallas celebrating Super Bowl we ended up at a Chili's to watch the game and there I had my first ever strawberry mojito. Since that day I have been telling my guy that I need to learn how to make one. You couldn't have picked a better recipe to try out of the cookbook. Can I call it that? Haha! I need to give this a try and hope that I win. Thank you for such a great giveaway.

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  18. I am already a FOLLOWER of your blog and love it!

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  19. My fav is probably a simple Jack Daniels and Diet Coke, but any fun fruity drinks are also yummy :)

    heidiafleming (at) hotmail.com

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  20. My favorite cocktail is a Washington Apple (Apple Pucker, Cranberry Juice, & Crown Royal Whiskey)!

    adb6{at}humboldt{dot}edu

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  22. On of my favorite cocktails has to be a gin gimlet. It's old school I know but pretty darn tasty!

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  23. Oh yeah, and I'm a dedicated follower! By the way, saw a restaurant sign that said 'great vittles!' last night and instantly thought of your blog.

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  24. This looks delicious - I also LOVE anything with fresh strawberries!! Thanks for linking up to Foodie Friday. I hope to see you again next week!!

    PS - my favorite cocktail is this sugary strawberry vodka thing I had at a restaurant once. I have no idea the name but I can assure you it was FANTASTIC!!

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  25. Oh - I and i am your newest follower. I am not sure if you follow LBR or not (I think you may be new this week to Foodie Friday?) but if not, I would love for you to follow me back. Thanks!!

    I am desperately keeping my fingers crossed to win as I am a complete numskull in the cocktail department!

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  26. That does look good!

    My favourite cocktail is probably a gin & tonic.

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  27. Not a fan of mojitos because of all that mint...basil, much more my thing.

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  28. that is one delicious combo for a mojito!

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  29. looks delish! thanks for partying with whipperberry!
    Kisses

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I love reading your comments!

If you have a question or problem you can also feel free to email me at vittlesandbits@gmail.com. Thanks for visiting :)

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