Quick mojito sorbet recipe

This is a thirst quenching mojito-flavoured sorbet, or water ice recipe, perfect for the hot weather and a sophisticated end to a dinner party. And yes, it also makes an amazing frozen mojito cocktail base so I’m also including the recipe for that.

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 3 limes, juice and green zest
• 500ml water
• 125g white caster sugar
• 2 sprigs of mint
• 30ml of white rum

1. Put the sugar, mint, lime zest and water in a pan and bring to a boil over a medium heat, simmering for a couple of minutes and stirring once or twice to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool.
2. Add the lime juice and rum, then strain into a freezer-proof pot with a lid.
3. Freeze for an hour, then take out of freezer and break ice crystals up with a fork before returning to the freezer.
4. Repeat step 3 two more times, so the mixture gets broken up three times in three hours.
5. Serve, leaving it out for the freezer for 5-10 minutes first to soften. If you like, you can garnish with a little lime zest or a mint leaf.

If you have an icecream maker, pour the cooled mixture into that and churn until frozen. Serve immediately for a softer set texture, or put it in the freezer overnight for a firmer texture.

The whole pot contains about one unit of alcohol, so the sorbet is not that alcoholic. However, you could serve it with a small tot of sipping rum on the side if you wished!

Thrifty meal tips

• If you can’t find cheap limes, substitute the juice and yellow zest of two lemons.
• Wash citrus zest well to remove any wax, and only use the coloured part because the white pith underneath it is unpleasantly bitter.
• Using the lime zest as well as the juice gives you more flavour from less fruit.
• To get the most juice out of your limes, zap them in a microwave for 10 seconds (but no longer than that – no exploding dangerous limes please). Or dunk them in a bowl of hot water for 1 minute before juicing.
• If you don’t have any fresh mint, add a single drop of peppermint flavouring, or 2tsp dried mint to the water when you make the syrup.
• The sorbet contains less than the usual amount of sugar to make it more thirst-quenching, so the rum is needed to stop it freezing into a solid block. If you want to leave the rum out, add another 100g of sugar to the syrup.

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Frozen mojito recipe (makes 1 drink)

• Sprinkle of Demerara sugar
• Large scoop of mojito sorbet
• 50ml (2 shots) of white rum
• Splash of sparkling water
• Mint sprig to garnish

1. Take a chilled highball glass or large tumbler and sprinkle the brown sugar in the bottom.
2. Add a large scoop of mojito sorbet on top, followed by rum and sparkling water.
3. Give it a brief stir, then add the mint sprig and serve.

Supermarket own-brand rum is perfectly good for the sorbet and frozen mojito recipes, generally speaking, and it often tastes better than some of the mid-price brands. You can also substitute cachaca for the rum for a more citrussy twist, although in the UK it’s harder to find.

For a non-alcoholic version of the drink, make the alcohol-free version of the sorbet and stir in a long glug of lemonade or lemon-flavour sparkling water (about 120 ml). Enjoy!