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Ingredients
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Herbs & Garnish
Citrus & Sweetener
Mixer & Ice
Optional
Method
Prepare Glass & Herbs
- 1
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.
- 2
Reserve 4 mint leaves and 1 thyme sprig for final garnish; set them aside gently to avoid bruising.
Muddle & Build
- 3
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.
- 4
Add crushed ice to fill the glass about three-quarters full (approximately 1 cup). This chills and helps integrate flavors.
Top & Finish
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
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.
