Recipe

• 2 parts golden rum

• 1 part lime juice

• 1 part sugar syrup

• A couple of dashes of angostura bitters

• 6–8 mint leaves

• 4 parts sparkling white wine

Shake the first five ingredients together with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, then add the sparkling wine. Add a new mint leaf on top.

I wrote all about this recipe the other day in my post about the Bangkok Cuban. In short, I was trying to make an Old Cuban but substituted lime leaves for the mint, which ended up very distinctive. Today I wanted to try the real thing, and got hold of some mint especially.

It's nice! The mint is refreshing, and lightens up the rich flavours of the other components.

I might criticise by saying the rum is drowned out a bit – I like to taste the spirit in my cocktails, and so I might try 3 parts rum next time instead of 2, more in line with my usual 3:1:1 sour cocktail recipe.