Mint. It grows like a weed. Iced tea – I drink it everyday. What makes iced tea better? Mint. (Don’t be thrown off, there’s a little bit of arugula in that image up there too!)

However, simply adding a few sprigs of mint to your glass, as pretty as it makes it – doesn’t not result in a minty flavor. So….I decided to make my own extract!

So simple!!! Grab a handful of mint. Wash it up good. Remove the stems from the stalk and either bruise with the bottom of a glass, tear it or chop it. Add this to a small glass container, about 1″ from the top. Fill the container to the top with vodka (any brand will do – the alcohol eventually evaporates) and squish the mint leaves down, you’ll get some floaters, that’s ok, they will eventually drop.

Now, seal this up tight, and wait. Put in a dark place for ultimate extraction. Check on it once a week and give it a shake for 6-8 weeks. Then open. How does the liquid taste? Strong enough? If so, strain the liquid and put in a new glass container that seals tight, don’t refrigerate. You’ll probably use it sooner if you’re actually going through the effort to make it – but it should last 8-12 months.

Enjoy!