Gooseberry Mojito for Winter

A refreshing and invigorating drink made from summer berries will delight even in the bitter frost if you prepare Gooseberry Mojito for winter. These unripe fruits are placed in jars with the addition of lemon, mint, sugar, and a small amount of basil. The preparation process resembles making compote, but if you pour a little rum into the opened drink, you'll have a mildly alcoholic Mojito.

Yield: 2-liter jar.

Preparation time: 30 minutes + a day under a towel.

Caloric content: 54 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Ingredients

gooseberries – 300 g;
sugar – 150 g;
lemon – 2 slices;
mint – a few sprigs;
purple or green basil – 6 leaves (it's better to remove the stem as it is too tough);
purified water – 850 ml.

Preparation

1. Prepare the ingredients. Gooseberries for Mojito should be unripe and even completely green. Lemon can be replaced with citric acid at the rate of 1/3 teaspoon per liter jar.

2. Sort the berries, removing any that are damaged, and soak them in cold water. Rinse them well to remove any dust stuck on them.

3. It's better to trim the tails from both sides, although they won't affect the taste – this is just an aesthetic moment.

4. Distribute the gooseberries into jars that have been pre-washed with soda and sterilized jars.

5. Add 75 grams of sugar to each jar.

6. Place a slice of lemon or a pinch of citric acid in each jar.

7. Distribute the mint sprigs and basil leaves.

8. Pour boiling water over the contents to the very top of the jars. One hot pour is sufficient, considering that the compote will also sit under a warm blanket and cool completely for a whole day.

9. Screw on tightly boiled lids and turn the jars upside down to check the reliability of the sealing.

10. Next, lay the sealed jars on their side and roll them on a towel until the sugar dissolves.

11. Then wrap the preparations in a terry towel and place an additional blanket or warm duvet on top. The jars should stay in this 'bath' until they cool down – about a day.

It is best to store Gooseberry Mojito for winter in a cool dark place, but it will also keep perfectly well in a regular kitchen cabinet until the next season. The union of herbs and lemon makes the gooseberry drink especially original, and a couple of spoonfuls of rum added to a glass of the drink will turn it into Mojito 18 plus.

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