Mojito Granita

Directions

1. 1
   Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan; grate the zest from the 2 limes directly into the saucepan.
2. 2
   Bring mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved.
3. 3
   Reserve 5 of the mint leaves; add the remaining mint to the saucepan, and remove from the heat.
4. 4
   Cover and let stand for 8 minutes, then remove cover and let cool to room temperature.
5. 5
   Once cool, strain the mixture into the container you plan to freeze the granita in, pressing firmly on the leaves to extract all the flavorful liquid.
6. 6
   Discard mint leaves.
7. 7
   Stir in the lime juice and rum; then finely chopped the reserved 5 mint leaves and add them as well.
8. 8
   Place granita in the freezer; begin checking it after about 1 hour; once it begins to freeze around the edges, take a fork and stir the mixture, breaking up the frozen parts near the edges into smaller chunks and raking them toward the center.
9. 9
   Return dish to freezer, then check mixture every 30 minutes afterward, stirring each time and breaking up any large chunks into small pieces with a fork, until you have beautiful, fine crystals.
10. 10
    Serve in a chilled cocktail glass/martini glass.