champagne mojitos

when i tried a campagne mojito for the first time, i was in love. i admit, i'm obsessed with anything made with champagne. and who can resist the delicate flavors of fresh mint leaves? we made a few pitchers of them during a recent girl's weekend and they were a huge hit and super simple to make.

ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups packed mint leaves, plus 12 mint sprigs, for garnish
• 6 limes, cut into wedges
• 2 cups light rum
• lots of ice
• 3 cups champagne

instructions:

1. in a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and cook over high heat just until the sugar has dissolved. let cool to room temperature. (to be honest, i skip this step and just dump the sugar right in when muddling/step 2)
   
2. in a large pitcher, combine the sugar syrup with the mint leaves and lime wedges and muddle well with a wooden spoon. add the rum and stir well. strain the drink into another pitcher. (i also skip the straining...)
   
3. add tons and tons of ice and fill to the top with champagne. garnish with the leftover mint sprigs and serve.