Mojito Recipe
A proper Mojito balances white rum, muddled mint, and fresh lime against a lift of soda and sugar. Built over crushed ice in a highball, it is the definitive warm-weather highball and one of the easiest rum cocktails to master at home.
Ingredients
- 2 ozwhite rum
- 3/4 ozfresh lime juice
- 1/2 ozsimple syrup
- 8 to 10 leavesfresh mint
- 2 ozclub soda
Garnish
- Mint sprig
- Lime wheel
Equipment: Highball glass, muddler or bar spoon, jigger, citrus juicer, bar spoon, crushed ice
Method
- Add the mint leaves and simple syrup to a highball glass and gently press with a muddler 4 to 5 times to release the oils. Do not shred the leaves.
- Add the fresh lime juice and white rum, then fill the glass two-thirds with crushed ice.
- Stir with a bar spoon for 10 to 15 seconds to chill and dilute, lifting the mint from the bottom.
- Top with club soda and give one gentle stir to integrate.
- Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel, add a short straw, and serve immediately.
About the Mojito
The Mojito traces to Havana, where 19th-century rum punches were cut with lime and sugar to soften the spirit. Mint entered the picture through Caribbean bartending tradition, and the drink settled into its modern form with white rum, lime, sugar, mint, and soda over ice. It remains Cuba’s signature highball and one of the most ordered rum cocktails worldwide.
Nailing it comes down to restraint. Press the mint just enough to release its oils, never pulverize it, or you pull bitter chlorophyll into the glass. Use fresh-squeezed lime rather than bottled juice, and balance the sugar to the lime so the drink tastes bright rather than sweet. Crushed ice and a quick stir give the dilution a proper Mojito needs, and a splash of soda at the end keeps the whole thing lively.
- Slap the mint sprig against your palm before garnishing to wake up its aroma.
- Keep the glass and crushed ice cold so the soda stays fizzy longer.
- For a lighter pour, drop the rum to 1 1/2 oz and add an extra half ounce of soda.
- Swap simple syrup for a bar spoon of superfine sugar and stir a little longer to dissolve it.
