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Ingredients
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Herbs & Garnish
Citrus & Sweetener
Mixer & Ice
Optional
Method
Prepare Glass & Herbs
Chill and add herbs
Chill a highball or Collins glass briefly with ice or in the freezer. Remove if chilled with ice and discard that ice. Place 8 fresh mint leaves and 2 thyme sprigs into the bottom of the glass.
Reserve 4 mint leaves and 1 thyme sprig for final garnish; set them aside gently to avoid bruising.
Muddle & Build
Muddle herbs with citrus and syrup
Cut the half lime (0.5 piece) into 3-4 small wedges. Add the wedges to the glass with the herbs. Add 0.5 oz simple syrup and 1 oz fresh lime juice. Using a muddler, gently press and twist about 6–8 times — just enough to release the oils from the mint and thyme and the juice from the lime without shredding the leaves into bits.
Add crushed ice to fill the glass about three-quarters full (approximately 1 cup). This chills and helps integrate flavors.
Top & Finish
Add soda and adjust
Pour 6 oz Sprite gently over the crushed ice. Give the drink one gentle stir from bottom to top with a bar spoon to distribute the muddled herb-citrus mixture into the soda without flattening the carbonation.
Taste and adjust sweetness or acidity: add an additional 0.25–0.5 oz simple syrup if you prefer sweeter, or an extra squeeze of lime juice (about 0.25 oz) if you prefer brighter acidity.
Garnish
Top with 2 reserved mint leaves and 1 reserved thyme sprig. Optionally slap the mint sprig between your palms once to release aroma before placing it in the glass. Add 2 lime wedges on the rim or floated on top.
Optional smoked thyme aroma
If using the optional thyme sprig for aroma, briefly hold the sprig over a small flame until it blazes slightly then extinguish and cup the smoke over the finished drink for a light aromatic finish. Do not leave embers in the glass.