Make: 12th Man Mojito

I know this may sound crazy to some, but I LOVE football! If you’ve only been following me on Posh for a short period of time, I’m sure this isn’t what you’d expect from a girl who writes about all things sweet and chic, but it’s true! I’ve been an avid fan since before my hubby and I got married and every Sunday, we enjoy watching all the games together as a family. Since I’m local to Washington State, of course the Seahawks are my team and you have to admit they deserve some recognition this year! Breaking records, going 13 and 3, home field advantage and the NFL division championship game, yes finally some love for the Pacific NW!

And since the Mayor of Seattle has declared the Friday before each hawks game, “Blue Friday”, and about 90% of the State of Washington is already in celebration mode, I’ve got the perfect cocktail to complete your weekend of football fun. This bevvy is inspired by the Hawks colors, in shades of blue and green and features a homemade Blueberry infused Rum (yummy!), fresh mint leaves, lime juice and raw sugar. Oh yes, it’s a true winner…. just like our hawks!

12TH MAN MOJITO

In honor of our Seahawks, and the fans, I’ve appropriately named this cocktail after the “12th Man” (aka Seahawks fans,) Mojito. The blueberry infused rum adds a subtle twist of fruit and a touch color to tie in the Seahawks hues.

Fun fact: The fans in the hawks stadium are known to be the loudest in the entire NFL, causing multiple false starts and making Century Link field one of the most difficult stadiums in the league to play at. They recently registered a reading of 137.6 decibels during a game against the Saints back in Dec., setting a new record in the Guinness Book of World Records. We are serious about our football in the PNW!

Ingredients

3 fresh mint leaves

1 to 2 tablespoon raw sugar (or equivalent simple syrup)

2 – 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice

4 to 6 fresh blueberries (washed)

1.5 shots Blueberry Infused Rum (see recipe below) If you don’t have time to make the infused rum. Regular light rum will do!

Seltzer water

Ice.

Instructions

Muddle sugar, lime juice together.

Add in mint and lightly bruise the leaves, but be sure not to over muddle them.

Top with rum.

Finish with seltzer water and ice.

Garnish with blueberries, mint leaves or the 12th Man Garnishes (instructions below) and these babes are ready to enjoy!

BLUEBERRY INFUSED RUM

The flavor and color of the blueberries infuses the rum adding a subtle hint of fruit, making it choice addition to any cocktail recipe!

Ingredients

1 Bottle of your favorite light rum. I used Bacardi.

1 cup washed Blueberries.

1 glass bottle with secure lid.

Instructions

Rinse blueberries and place in the bottom of the glass bottle.

Pour the entire bottle of rum into the blueberries and seal with fitted lid.

Place in a cool dark place and allow 1 week to sit.

I actually ended up using mine after 4 days, but you could already taste the flavor of the blueberries in the rum.

12TH MAN GARNISH – DIY

This garnish is great as a drink topper, but can also be used as a simple fruit skewer or to be served alongside snacks at a tailgating event this weekend.

The triangle flag was made in Photoshop using the colors and numbers that represent the 12th man flag. I simply cut the shapes out and threaded them through clear plastic cocktail skewers that I found at bevmo (starting them with a thumb tac).

Then I took slices of kiwi, and cut them into football shapes using my mini football cookie cutter.

I skewered 1 blueberry and 1 kiwi below the 12th man flag to create a garnish in green and blue to rep our hawks..

 I then placed one garnish on the top of each cocktail glass for the finishing touch.

You could certainly have fun with these skewers, using alternate fruits and colors if there’s another team you’ll be celebrating this weekend.

Oh and for those of you who play fantasy football, I haven’t had the chance to mention yet that I played in an all girls Fantasy league this year and won the entire season! I actually did way better than my husband this year, finishing at 11-3, but with running-backs like Jamaal Charles and Eddie Lacy it was difficult to go wrong! I plan on doing a little bit of shopping this upcoming week with my much deserved winnings!

I have to say, It’s been a really great season and I hope you enjoy this cocktail as much as we do this weekend! Happy Blue Friday! Seahawks for the Superbowl!!

Cheers!

This specific recipe for the 12th Man Mojito is a Posh Little Designs original. All Rights Reserved. 2011-2014.

All Images are photographed and owned property of Posh Little Designs. All Rights Reserved 2011-2014