Mojito Cocktail Recipe
White rum, lime, mint and soda — the ultimate refreshing long drink from Havana.
- Category: Contemporary Classics
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 13%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~4 min
Ingredients
- White rum45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Fresh lime juice25 ml (0.8 oz)
- Sugar2 tsp
- Fresh mint leaves8 piece
- Soda water60 ml (2 oz)
How to Make It
- Gently muddle mint, sugar and lime juice in a highball glass.
- Fill with crushed ice.
- Add rum and stir.
- Top with soda water.
- Garnish with a mint sprig.
Garnish
Mint sprig and lime
What it tastes like
Mint leaves a cooling finish and it drinks cool and easy.
The technique
Muddling. Fruit, herbs or sugar get pressed at the bottom of the glass. With leaves like mint the goal is to press, not to shred: two or three pushes is plenty, more releases chlorophyll and turns the drink grassy and bitter. Sugar and firm fruit, on the other hand, really do get crushed.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- White rum
- The Cuban style is light and dry, the Puerto Rican a little rounder. It is the base of the mojito and the daiquiri; swap in gold rum and the drink turns sweeter.
- Fresh lime juice
- Freshly squeezed lime. Bottled lime tastes cooked and flat; one lime gives about 30 ml. If you have none, half lemon and half grapefruit juice comes closest.
- Sugar
- Granulated sugar. It dissolves badly in a cold drink, so either muddle it with a few drops of water first or turn it into syrup to begin with.
- Fresh mint leaves
- The stem is bitter, so use the leaves. One clap between your palms before it goes in releases the oils and gives you the aroma without bruising it.
- Soda water
- Plain carbonated water. It goes in LAST and nothing is stirred after it. An open bottle goes flat fast, so small bottles make more sense than big ones.
The Story
Traced to 16th-century Cuba; a favourite of Havana's bars and famously of Ernest Hemingway.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Mojito mixed?
- It is muddled and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Mojito?
- Roughly 13% ABV as served — right around a glass of wine — an aperitif or an early-evening drink.
- Can a Mojito be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Mojito hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.