Wild Blueberry Mojito

This weekend brought another rare heat wave to San Francisco--yay! We celebrated with afternoon mojitos. This is a recipe for a pitcher, so don't start this project alone!

For 6 lowball glasses:

• 1 cup very tightly packed mint leaves, plus a 6+ sprigs set aside for garnish
• 7 shots white rum (we like flor de cana, nice enough for sipping and only $18 for a 1.5 liters!)
• 1 handful wild blueberries (regular blueberries are fine too, but I found that the tiny frozen wild blueberries from Trader Joe's have more intense flavor and color)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2/3 cup juice (from about 8-10 limes)
• 2 cans club soda
• plenty of ice cubes

Pour the sugar over the mint leaves, and crush with a muddler or other flat object. The goal here is to grind the sugar into the leaves, both to help the sugar melt and to release the oil from the leaves. Add the rum to the mix, and cover for at least an hour. With clean hands, squeeze the leaves dry and discard. The rum will be amber colored at this point, but don't worry. Add the blueberries and lime juice to the rum and let sit in the refrigerator overnight. 

If you prefer to serve this immediately, add the blueberries when you crush the sugar and mint. I prefer the overnight steeping because it releases more color and flavor, and the berries are more attractive and tasty whole than mashed. 

When ready to serve, crush a few mint leaves in the bottom of a glass with a spoon, add a handful of ice cubes, pour in three shots of the rum mixture making sure to scoop in some berries, and top with club soda. Stir and serve!