Zinc Cocktail

When I was 18, my mom and I went to Paris together after I graduated from high school. It was an amazing trip - I bought my first pair of Marc Jacobs flats (which I felt so fancy for ordering my size in a department store in French) and ate delicious foods. But one of the best memories is going to the hotel lounge and ordering a cocktail. Their cocktail menu was full of drinks named after the elemental table, all in French. I took to ordering the 'Zinc', which is kind of unrelated to the element, but a muddled concoction of lime and strawberry and rum. I kept getting them nearly nightly, then returning to the states where kids my age drank cheap beer. See now why I never drank in college? Having my first beverages at a fancy bar in Paris really didn't help there, but I'm quite happy I ended up this way. So here's my first and favorite drink.

 

What You'll Need

Light Rum
2-3 Stems of Basil Leaves
2 Limes
4-6 Strawberries
Club Soda
Ice

 

First, place 2-3 (depending on how large) washed strawberries, the juice of 1 small lime, and a small handful of basil leaves in the bottom of a glass. With a muddler, mix/mudle well. While it will seem easier to cut the strawberries up then put them in, you lose some of the yummy juices mixing with the lime, so trust me, put them in whole. That's how the French bartender did it.

Add 3-4 ice cubes. Pour 1 shot of light rum over the mixture, then fill to the top with club soda.

 

Stir well and serve with a strawberry as decor!