March 6, 2019

How you can make a Mojito, an incredibly refreshing rum cocktail.

Finishing the mint mojito with a straw

Looking for something super refreshing to drink?

Or maybe you have always seen and heard about Mojitos but you aren't exactly sure what they're all about...

Well consider this your guide to making your own awesome Mojitos.

What does a Mojito taste like?

Like the perfect combination of tart lime juice, mild sweet cane sugar, bright fragrant mint, and a background of crisp white rum...

Top it with a splash of sparkling water and you have something great.

They are easy to make and hard not to like. To me, they are one of the drinks that always come to mind when I think about summer along with the Daiquiri and Caipirinha

How to make a Mojito:

  1. Add fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and mint leaves to the glass
  2. Gently muddle the mint
  3. Add rum and ice then stir
  4. Top with soda and garnish with more mint

There's not a whole lot to the making the Mojito, but that doesn't mean it isn't delicious.

But what is going to take it from goof to great are the ingredients you choose.

Measuring white rum with a jigger
Squeezing fresh lime juice for the Mojito cocktail

The ingredients to make an awesome Mojito

As with many drinks the key here is using fresh ingredients.

Squeeze the limes right as you are making the cocktail and use fresh mint leaves, if you can pick them right off the plant that's even better! (bonus points if you can, the rest of us are real jealous).

And then there is the sweetener.

You will see lots of recipes calling for different ingredients here such as: simple syrup, caster sugar, honey, or sometimes even fruit purees or syrups. But for the classic version of the Mojito I suggest you use simple syrup made with cane sugar.

Why cane sugar?

It is less refined than the standard white granulated sugar which leaves it with more of its' original flavor. I recommend you make a simple syrup by heating one part cane sugar and one part water just until all the sugar is dissolved.

By using a simple syrup you ensure that all the sugar will be dissolved into the drink, plus it won't bruise the mint leaves when you muddle.

Pouring white rum into the mojito glass

What rum should I use?

I'll get right to the point here.

These are my favorite white rums for cocktails and I recommend any of them.

The are all delicious in their own way, and if you want to see a little be more about them I wrote a short description for each of them on my classic Daiquiri post.

If you are feeling adventurous you could also use an aged rum instead. That will give you more baking spice and caramel notes in the background and make the finished drink come off a bit sweeter.

I like sticking with a white rum, but it's your drink so make it how you want.

Muddling the fresh mint and cane simple syrup

Serve Mojito pitchers at your summer cocktail party

Here's a great opportunity to serve awesome drinks to your guests without making individual drinks for everybody. That leads to you just standing at your home bar the whole night.

If you want to go the pitcher route multiply the recipe below by the number of guests (or 2x the number of guests, let's be real) and add the lime juice, simple syrup, and rum to the pitcher.

Then toss in all the mint and gently muddle it a few times.

NOTE:

Whenever you muddle mint you have to be gentle! If you mash it up too much it releases muddy bitter flavors which are no good.

Store the pitcher of rum, lime juice, simple syrup and mint in the fridge util it comes time to serve. When guests arrive put out the pitcher, a bucket of ice and some chilled soda water. Your guest can simply fill a cup with ice, pour over some of the pre-made Mojito and top it off with a splash of soda water.

Or you could create a mini self serve Mojito bar which would also be fun.

Put out all the ingredients in a little assembly line. Halved limes and a juicer, fresh mint in a cup of cold water, rum, simple syrup, a jigger and a bar spoon.

Write a recipe card for guests to follow and relax! 

Stirring the mint and ice through the mojito

A short history of the Mojito cocktail

As with many old cocktails the origins of this classic highball are quite hazy. It is a Cuban creation that likely evolved when bartenders added ice and soda water to drinks made with lime, sugar, mint and rum that had already existed for some time.

Whoever first made it did a damn fine job, as they created a classic that is still enjoyed as top notch summer refresher.

The earliest forms of the Mojito are said to have been created to make the harsh 19th century rums more palatable, but don’t test the cover up skills of the lime and mint by using discount rum brands. It isn’t worth it.

Speaking of mint, what kind should you use?

Whatever you've got! It doesn't matter that much as any variety will make a nice Mojito as long as it's reasonably fresh.

Garnihsing the finished mojito with a sprig of mint

There's a funny question that I have seen floating around:

"Is the Mojito a ladies drink?"

And the answer is... who cares? If you like the way a cocktail tastes then drink it, simple as that. You don't need to look manly or lady-like while you drink something. It's the 21st century, drink whatever the hell you want!

I would love to hear from you if you have ever made Mojitos!

Mojito Cocktail Recipe

The Mojito is an incredibly refreshing white rum cocktail with fresh mint and lime juice, cane syrup and a top off of soda water. Absolutely delicious.

Ingredients

  • 2 oz White Rum
  • 3/4 oz Lime Juice
  • 3/4 oz Cane Simple Syrup
  • 8-10 Mint Leaves
  • ~1 oz Soda Water

Instructions

  • Add the mint to the bottom of your glass and pour the cane syrup onto the leaves.
  • GENTLY press the mint leaves several times with a muddler to release their oils.
  • Add the lime juice and rum, then fill with crushed ice leaving about 1 inch at the the top of the glass.
  • Mix the ingredients with a bar spoon lifting the mint through the drink.
  • Top with soda water and garnish with a nice mint sprig (clap it before you put it in to make it more fragrant).

Notes

If you don't have cane sugar on hand you could use granulated but I enjoy the extra layer of flavor that cane sugar ads.
And feel free to use any white rum you like, you could also do a little experimenting with dark rums too. With dark rum it would become a sweeter tasting drink with more caramel and spice notes, but maybe you like that!
Total Time: 3 minutes
Course: Drinks
Servings: 1 drink
Tag me at @mydrinkinghobby when you make this!

Share This Recipe

How to make a classic mojito cocktail pinterest

Some useful links:

Like lots of other easy to make cocktails, the Mojito is absolutely one you could show your party guests how to make and create a little Mojito bar!

Then you can serve awesome homemade cocktails that you don't actually have to make for each person.


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