A Classic Mojito is the perfect, refreshing summer cocktail recipe made with white rum, lime juice, simple syrup, and muddled mint leaves.
This classic cocktail is an amazing Drink Recipe to add to your recipe arsenal. You can serve it for cocktail hour, along with dinner, or for a fun summer party drink. If you like the refreshing citrus taste of this summery cocktail, be sure to try my Moscow Mule Recipe as well.
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Sabrina’s Mojitos Recipe
This is the perfect Mojito recipe that you can use to impress your friends. It’s a fun drink that tastes amazing and looks impressive, but as long as you follow a few simple tips it’s not hard to make. It’s a simple matter of combining muddled mint, simple syrup, lime juice, white rum and a splash of club soda. You can finish the recipe with a few easy garnishes to make it look like a fancy drink worth of any restaurant’s drinks menu.
What is a Mojito?
Although its exact origins are difficult to trace, the Classic Mojito recipe that we all enjoy today originated in Cuba. It is traditionally made with white rum, sugar, soda water, lime juice and mint leaves. A Mojito is served in a tall glass with ice for a refreshing cocktail perfect for warm tropical weather.
Ingredients
- Mint: The mint adds a lot of refreshing flavor to this recipe. By muddling the aromatic leaves they release oil and infuse the drink with a sharp and delicious mint flavor. You’ll also garnish the cocktail with a sprig of mint to finish the recipe.
- Simple Syrup: Simple syrup adds a bit of sweetness to balance out the tart and sharp flavors in the drink mix. You can buy simple syrup where you would buy other alcohol mixers, or make your own. You could also use granulated sugar, honey, or agave syrup if you prefer.
- Lime Juice: You can purchase lime juice at the store, but I find that freshly squeezed lime juice is an excellent way to make your cocktail recipes more delicious. Slice fresh limes in half to easily juice them. Then use another lime to cut a lime wedge or lime circle to garnish the finished drink.
- White Rum: You’ll want white rum for this recipe. It has a more light and slightly fruity taste than dark rum, which pairs well with the refreshing, summery flavors of a Mojito recipe.
- Club Soda: Finally, club soda finishes the drink with a more neutral flavor that balances the cocktail and adds a delightful fizz.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker: You’ll need a cocktail shaker with a good fitting lid to shake the drink. The shaker not only evenly mixes the drink ingredients, but adding some ice will chill everything as it shakes for an ice cold cocktail.
- Muddler: Use a cocktail muddler to smush the leaves and release their juices to infuse the drink with a bright minty flavor. You could also use a wooden or silicone spoon that fits in your shaker.
How to Make
- Muddle the Mint
To prep your ingredients, add the fresh mint leaves, and simple syrup to your cocktail shaker. Then muddle the mint with the simple syrup together.
- Combine the Drink Ingredients
Add the light rum, lime juice, and ½ cup of ice cubes to the cocktail shaker over the muddled mint. Then shake briefly (no need to shake for more than a minute).
- Finish and Serve
Add the remaining ice cubes to a classic high ball drink glass. Strain the rum mixture into the glass. Top with soda water. Garnish with lime slices and a fresh mint sprig. Enjoy your delicious Mojito right away before the ice melts.
Can this be made ahead of time?
If you want to make Mojitos ahead of time for a party, you can multiple the ingredients and combine them in a large pitcher. Be sure to add plenty of ice to keep the drink mixture chilled. It can stay good in the fridge for up to 3 days. Wait to add the club soda until you’re serving or it will lose it’s carbonation in the fridge.
Nutritional Facts
What to Pair With Mojitos
Mojitos are cool and refreshing so they are perfect to pair with all your favorite Summer BBQ dishes. Or since they are originally from Cuba, why not try pairing them with delicious Cuban dishes like Cuban Mojo Pork, Cuban Mojo Grilled Chicken, or a Cuban Sandwich?
How to Store
Store: Mojitos are going to taste best when freshly made because the club soda will go flat overnight. However, you can keep leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Strain any ice so that your mojito isn’t watered down.
Freeze: Alcoholic drinks don’t store well in the freezer. It’s best to make your Mojitos fresh when you want to serve them and discard leftovers that can’t be refrigerated.
Other Ways to Make Mojitos
Blended Mojitos
Easily turn this iced tropical drink into a Carribean inspired frozen cocktail!
- You’ll still want to start by muddling the mint leaves and simple syrup.
- Strain the muddled mixture into a high-power blender along with the other cocktail ingredients and ice.
- Blend until combined with the ice and broken into small pieces.
- You want a slushy-like consistency. Then pour into a glass and add garnishes before serving.
Mojitos for a Crowd
If you’re serving a large group and don’t want to spend your evening prepping individual cocktails, you can make a large batch of Mojitos all at once to share.
- Add ½ cup granulated sugar or ¾ cup simple syrup to a glass pitcher with 36 fresh mint leaves. Muddle until the mint leaves are broken down.
- Quarter 3 limes. Add them to the pitcher. Muddle until the limes are juiced.
- Pour in 1 cup rum and 1 liter of club soda.
- Stir until the Mojito mixture is combined.
- To serve, pour the Mojito blend over ice-filled glasses. You can also prep garnishes ahead of time and have them on a plate to the side to easily add to the finished cocktail recipe.
Frequent Questions
Mojitos don’t typically have a strong alcohol taste. If you make the recipe with 80-proof rum, it should be around 13% ABV. Of course, this varies depending on how heavy of a pour you use. But, thanks to the soda water, mint, and lime flavors, Mojitos don’t taste too strong in alcohol.
Yes. If you don’t have rum or just don’t like rum, then you can still make this drink recipe. Just swap out the rum for a high-quality vodka.
You’ll want to use a white or silver rum for your Mojito recipe. Some good-quality brands that pair particularly well with this cocktail’s taste are Bacardi Silver Rum, Appleton White Rum, and Cruzan Light Rum.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 3 mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon simple syrup , (½ ounce)
- 1/4 cup white rum , (2 ounces)
- 1.5 tablespoons lime juice , freshly squeezed (¾ ounce)
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 2-3 tablespoons club soda , to top
- mint sprig , for garnish
- 1 lime , for garnish
Instructions
- Add rum, lime juice and ½ cup ice cubes to shaker, close, and shake briefly.
- Strain into a highball glass (https://amzn.to/3omEhoK) over remaining ½ cup ice cubes.
- Top with club soda.
- Slice lime horizontally to create a circle and cut a slit from an edge to the center to hang on the glass. Garnish with the mint sprig and lime slice.
Nutrition
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Variations
Coconut Mojito: There are plenty of ways to experiment with this classic Mojito Cocktail. For a more tropical flavor, exchange the regular rum for coconut rum and add 1 ounce of cream of coconut to the cocktail shaker. Pour over ice, add the soda water and enjoy a delicious Coconut Mojito.
Raspberry Mojito: Raspberry is one fruit flavor that I think tastes especially delicious with the mint and lime in the recipe. To make the raspberry version of this cocktail, muddle a handful of fresh raspberries with the mint leaves and simple syrup. Then exchange half of the white rum with raspberry-flavored rum. Garnish it with a fresh mint sprig and fresh raspberries. Leave the berries floating in the drink or add them to a decorative cocktail skewer.
Salted Rim: If you want to give your cocktail a salted rim, wet the rim of your glass with a lime wedge. Add a large grain of cocktail salt to a plat. Put the glass rim down in the salt, and it will stick to the lime juice. You can do the same process to give the recipe a sugar rim.
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