Hines Family Journal

Monday, June 14, 2010

Happy 2nd Birthday Ivy

Last Sunday we celebrated our friend Ivy's birthday.

Enjoy a Nila Mojito this summer

I think I may have created paradise in a glass- this will be my go-to summer drink. I was experimenting with drinks for the Blizz BBQ this weekend and I stumbled upon the most fantastic drink imaginable. I am calling it the Nila Mojito- a marriage of pineapple, lime, mint, and silver spice rum with a splash of sparkling mineral water. Now because this is my own creation, I don't recall exactly the exact measurements but I'm going to give it a shot.

Cheers!

The Nila Mojito

1 fresh pineapple

10 limes

1 cup of sugar

handful of mint

good rum

soda water

Dice a pineapple and put half of it in a blender. Add a few sprigs of mint and blend until pulpy (you may have to add a little water). Strain fresh pineapple-mint juice from "blended juice pulp" and save in a glass mason jar. Juice limes, heat on stove with 1 cup of sugar to make a simple syrup, then combine in glass mason jar with the pineapple juice. You now have a little jar of heaven that will make many mojitos (maybe 10). Save it in the fridge for up to a week.

Now to make the actual drink. In a cocktail shaker combine a handful of ice with 2 shots of rum, 4-5 tablespoons of the pineapple-mint-lime syrup, 3 chunks of fresh pineapple, and a few mint leaves. Shake well and strain. Pour in a glass full of ice and top off with some soda water.

Enjoy and don't forget to share some with a friend!

Sula's entourage

The paparazzi were out in full force during our visit to St. Louis, capturing Sula's every move. Thank you Kelly, Ian, and mom for some great shots!

Below are a few of my favorites. You will find even more of them here!

This is going to be one fun, busy summer!

To kick off the start of summer, Sula and I took a trip down to St. Louis over Memorial Day Weekend. She is becoming a pro moving through airports and even helped us quickly get through the security checkpoint.