Ina Garten- Dark Rum Southsides

We have a mint plant that came with our house, and it's so robust I joke that it's actually the thing that holds our house together. Well, I finally found a good use for all the mint we get every year. This cocktail is delicious, and let's be real Ina never disappoints.

• 12 large mint leaves plus 4 large sprigs

• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

• ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 limes)

• ½ cup simple syrup

• 1 cup dark rum, such as Mount Gay

• 1 cup ice, plus extra for serving

• 1 ½ cups sparkling water, such as San Pellegrino, chilled

• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Put the mint leaves and 2 of the lime wedges in a large cocktail shaker and muddle them with a muddler or a long-handled wooden spoon. Add the lime juice, simple syrup, rum, and ice and stir 40 times with a long-handled swiveling cocktail spoon or the wooden spoon. Add the sparkling water and salt and stir well. For each drink, fill a low cocktail glass half full with ice, add a mint sprig and a wedge of lime, and pour over the cocktail mixture. Stir and serve ice cold.