Black Garlic Mojito

This is a beautiful recipe adapted from The New Cocktail Hour: The Essential Guide to Hand-Crafted Drinks Great mix of dark rum orange and basil. Try using Malibu, orange and mint for a true summer flavour. 

Ingredients
1½ ounce dark rum
1 orange slice, sliced into halves
3 basil leaves, plus 1 sprig for garnish
1 ounce black garlic simple syrup (recipe below)
Soda water
Method
Press basil and half an orange slice in the bottom of a glass filled with ice. Add black garlic syrup and rum. Stir, and top with soda water. Garnish with orange and basil.

To Make Black Garlic Syrup
½ cup hot water
½ cup Demerara sugar
3 cloves black garlic
1–2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
To make syrup: bring water to boil. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Pour the syrup into a blender and add garlic. Blend until the garlic is finely ground. Use a fine-mesh strainer to remove any solids. Add the vinegar and taste. It should taste slightly acidic with a sweet, earthy finish.