Blood Orange And Cardamom Mojitos With Basil Recipe

Blood Orange And Cardamom Mojitos With Basil Recipe
4.3 (4 ratings)
I'm not a fan of overly sweet drinks, desserts, or TV hostesses. In fact, I usually drink my vodka straight, because at the end of the day I'm just a simple girl who likes to get kicked out of bars in three-inch heels. But since this is a PJ party and not a Motörhead concert, I figured, why not dress it up a little with a not-too-sweet blood orange mojito?
Servings
12
Ingredients
  • 3 green cardamom pods
  • 1 cup good quality vodka
  • 1 teaspoon blood orange zest
  • 1 whole vanilla bean
  • 4 cup blood orange juice, strained of pulp
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 ounce infused vodka
  • ice
  • 1 cup thai sweet basil leaves
  • 6 cup sparkling water
Directions
  1. Heat a small pan over medium-high heat. Add the whole cardamom pods, and toast them for 30 seconds, until slightly golden and fragrant. Set aside.
  2. Pour the vodka into a medium-sized pitcher and add the toasted cardamom pods, blood orange zest, and vanilla bean. Stir, cover, and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. After the vodka has been infused, strain it and discard the cardamom, zest, and vanilla bean.
  3. In a medium-sized pitcher, whisk the blood orange juice with the maple syrup, and set aside.
  4. Pour 1 1/2 ounces of infused vodka over some ice cubes in each highball glass. Add 4 Thai basil leaves. Pour in 1/3 cup of maple blood-orange juice, and top with sparkling water. Repeat steps for all 12 cocktails.