Kid Appeal: Virgin Mango Mojitos - a cultured drink recipe for kids

Little boo is a mixologist.? We've been drinking unsweetened drinks in our house since he was a toddler.? Juice is a special occasion beverage.? Perhaps his body yearned for a more sophisticated flavor than plain water or unsweetened herbal tea.? Whatever the inspiration, I like the results!

In his pre-school days he was often found adding cut fruit to his water.? Following my habit of dropping fresh basil or mint in my water, herbs were next.? Then Altoids.? I know.? I was skeptical too.? That's the awesome thing about having kids in the kitchen.? They don't have all the taste fails from decades of cooking in their mind yet.? They take risks with flavor combinations that I might not take.? In other words, they grow my courage in the kitchen.? It makes such simple sense I couldn't have thought of it myself.? Altoids really do fit the "minty drink" model.

Since mint has been in season (and I'm a lush) I've been making mojitos for myself.? Naturally he wanted one.? We've been experimenting with different mixers.? I'm too lazy to make simple syrup.? Why do that when there is ginger beer, Izze, kombucha or other fermented sodas in the fridge?

I started thinking of our virgin mojitos as dessert.? A dessert that could even help my kids heal from allergies and asthma. Happy mama!? Drinking fermented beverages helps with digestion, perfect for after dinner.? And they make the kids so happy. ? After our summer of food variety deprivation last year, we are all delighted to be enjoying our food and drink again.

?Last night I asked little boo to make mango mojitos for everyone while I cleared the table.? He was giddy!? He didn't require any inference from me except help cutting the lime. Bonus. Dessert tastes better when some else makes it!??

I drank half of mine before the kids went up for bed, then I added a splash of vodka (outta rum, ya know?).? The first half wasn't very altoidy at all, but after the altoid had dissolved more it really added an interesting minty bite to the cocktail. I'm not sure altoid mojitos are my favorite, but i could see myself ordering this beverage at a bar with a nice outdoor patio and really enjoying the party happening in my mouth.? Volcano, are you taking this hint?? Pretty please, put a kombucha mojito on your menu.

Virgin Mango Mojitos- makes 4 six ounce servings

ingredients
1 16oz? bottle mango flavored kombucha (or fizzy juice drink like ginger beer or izze)
2 limes, halved
1/2 cup mango, diced
1 large bunch fresh mint
Sparkling mineral water (or club soda)
ice cubes
4 Altoids (optional)

directions
Divide the mint evenly in each cup (do not cut).? Add mango cubes if using.? You can crush the leaves in your hands before adding it, or use a muddler to release the minty oils. Add one Altoids to each glass. Add ice. Divide the mango kombucha evenly in four glasses.? Add about 2 ounces of sparkling mineral water to each cup.? Stir and serve.? Enjoy the grins!

Kid Appeal Tip Do your kids beg and plead for flavored beverages all day?? Mine love them and would drink them exclusively if I let them. Even good for your sweetened drinks like kombucha should be consumed in moderation.? Humans just aren't designed to metabolize a lot of sugar in any form on a daily basis.? It taxes the liver and metabolism.? One way to damage your kids health early on is to permit continual drinking of sweet drinks, even 100% fruit juice.? They only get one liver.? You really don't want to send your kid to college with a damaged liver.? Make sure your kids know that sweet drinks are "sometimes" drinks. They are fine in moderation, but liver damaging in plenty.?

Take another look at little boo.? I know the lighting is bad (note to self, sit between the window and the kid next time), but check out his eyes.? No dark circles.? His face looks so bright.? He's a brighter, more cheerful version of himself.? I am so grateful he is finally off his Q-var inhaler. His appetite is so much improved!

This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday.

Source: http://foodwithkidappeal.blogspot.com/2012/07/virgin-mango-mojitos-cultured-drink.html

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