Strawberry Basil Mojito (and a Giveaway!)

Of the three drinks my sister, brother-in-law, and I made when I visited them, this was the unanimous favorite. While we really enjoyed the peachy keen and the watermelon-cucumber refresher, this is the one that we just couldn’t stop talking about. It all started with the perfectly ripe strawberries from the farmer’s market (it’s always a good sign when you smell the strawberries at the market before you even see them!), which we hit with some fresh basil, and topped off with some rum. It is hands down my new favorite drink.

Strawberry Basil Mojito

As I mentioned earlier, I was given a copy of DIY Cocktails to review and between one thing and another, well, it took me a little longer to get to this than I wanted.* Our house is well stocked with wine and some craft beers, but as for our liquor collection, let’s just say it has room for growth. As I flipped through the book initially, I kept thinking, well, that looks really good, but we don’t have any vermouth, or cognac, or brandy, etc. Another hurdle was that most of the recipes are given by ratios. I wanted to make mint juleps for the Kentucky Derby (told you I’ve been sitting on this book for a little while) and checked the recipe in DIY Cocktails, saw all the ratios, and then turned to my other cocktail book, 365 Cocktails: Mixers, Shakers, Shots: The Complete Bartender’s Guide instead. My math skills have gotten rusty since my last math class (11 years ago!) and mixing drinks wasn’t something I did a whole lot, and I just wanted someone to tell me how much of everything to use. I just wanted a drink, not to have to think! I had my doubts that this book was for me.

Strawberry Basil Mojito

Four drinks into DIY Cocktails (there was also the pina colada), I am now totally hooked. If you just want to know how to make a Manhattan and a Mai Thai, this book isn’t for you – you’re better off with a plain ol’ cocktail recipe book. If you want to make some really interesting and innovative cocktails on the other hand, I think you’ll really get a lot out of this book. The authors go into a lot of detail to explain the main components of several different kinds of drinks and help you understand why those ratios work and how to tweak them to suit your own personal taste. And if you want to learn about making your own infused spirits, flavored liqueur substitutes (such as in the peachy keen), flavored syrups, bitters, or even your own maraschino cherries, then this book is definitely going to make you happy.

Strawberry Basil Mojito

Starting to want a copy of DIY Cocktails of your own so you you can try such tantalizing drinks as mango cilantro cooler, apple vanilla bourbon, blood-orange tequila & soda, and green mar-tea-ni? Well, you’re in luck! We’re doing our first ever giveaway on Pixelated Crumb!

Giveaway Details

One lucky reader will win a free copy of DIY Cocktails! This giveaway is open to USA residents and will be open until Friday, July 8th at 11:59 pm EST.

The winner will be selected on random.org on July 9th. The winner will be announced on Pixelated Crumb and I will send her/him an e-mail. Make sure your e-mail is correct, because you only have 48 hours to respond to claim your prize before another winner is chosen!

To enter the DIY Cocktails Giveaway

Write a comment below telling me about your favorite drink.

For Additional Entries

For more chances to win, complete one or more of the following steps and write a comment below for each extra entry (e.g. “I follow @pixelatedcrumb on Twitter!”). You get an extra chance to win with each entry!

Follow @pixelatedcrumb on Twitter
Tweet about the giveaway (be sure to include @pixelatedcrumb)
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