The Mojito recipe
for your table
Put the sugar and lime juice in the glass and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Slap the mint leaves between your hands and gently press them into the glass. Do not crush them, as that makes them bitter.
Fill the glass with crushed ice and pour the rum over it; stir briefly.
Top with soda water, another layer of ice and a generous sprig of mint.
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The story
The roots of the Mojito lie in sixteenth-century Cuba, where sailors drank a rough drink made with aguardiente, lime and mint, called “Draque” after privateer Francis Drake. As rum became more refined, so did the drink, and somewhere in Havana it acquired the name Mojito, possibly from “mojo”, the Cuban lime sauce. Bar La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana claims the modern version, helped by a (probably fabricated) signature from Hemingway on the wall. True or not: the Mojito became Cuba’s calling card and is here to stay.
The right glass
The Mojito is a layered drink with sugar, mint, ice, rum and bubbles, so it needs height. A 36 to 55 cl highball glass is ideal: tall enough for all the layers of crushed ice and sturdy enough for muddling. Choose a glass with a thick base so you can press down without worry. A lightly textured glass gives the whole drink a Cuban vintage look. Tall glasses with a thick base for muddling can be found in our mojito glasses.
Bormioli Rocco Diamond Long Drink Glass 47 cl (6 pieces)
Duralex Picardie Long Drink Glass 36 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 40,90.
The right tools
For a Mojito, besides the glass, you use a wooden muddler, a long bar spoon, a jigger for precise measuring, a citrus press and large ice cubes. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find them all in our bar tools & cocktail sets. Want the complete set? There is also a 5-piece Mojito cocktail set.
Large cubes melt slowly, so your drink gets less diluted
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 95,70.
What do you use to make a Mojito?
You need rum for a Mojito. Well-known bottles include Captain Morgan and Borgoe. On each drinks page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it goes with and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The Royal Mojito uses champagne instead of soda water, while the Dirty Mojito gets a splash of dark rum as a float. Add strawberry or passion fruit to create fruit variations that are excellent at parties. And the Virgin Mojito proves that the recipe also holds up without rum. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Serve with a straw and a long bar spoon, so guests can stir the sugar from the bottom. Never crush the mint: bruising releases aroma, while tearing creates bitterness.
Good to know
Virgin Mojito: the same taste, 0.0
If you simply leave out the 4.5 cl white rum, you end up with a refreshing lemonade that is mainly sweet. It works better to replace the rum with 4.5 cl non-alcoholic white rum, or with 3 cl chilled green tea and half a teaspoon of lime zest; this provides the slightly bitter structure that the rum normally contributes. Keep the 3 cl fresh lime juice and the two teaspoons of cane sugar, and muddle the mint in exactly the same way. Our site also features the Virgin Mojito as a separate recipe.
Strawberry Mojito and other fruit variations
Muddle three ripe strawberries with the cane sugar and lime juice before adding the mint, and leave the rest of the recipe unchanged. Do not add more, because too much fruit pulp makes the drink cloudy and clogs the straw. Passion fruit works just as well: the pulp of half a fruit is enough. With raspberries or blackberries, it is worth passing the mixture through a sieve just before filling the glasses. Do not increase the sugar, even with tart fruit, because the fruit brings its own sweetness.
Mojito for a group from the pitcher
For six glasses, mix 27 cl white rum, 18 cl fresh lime juice, and twelve teaspoons of cane sugar in a one-and-a-half-liter pitcher, and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add fifty mint leaves, press them lightly, and chill the pitcher for an hour. Strain out the mint afterward, otherwise the mixture will become bitter. Fill the glasses with crushed ice when serving, pour to two-thirds full, and top each glass with about 4 cl soda water. Place fresh mint in the glass itself.
Muddling without damaging the mint
The most common mistake is over-muddling. Mint oil is on the surface of the leaf and is released with light pressure; the bitter compounds are in the veins and only come out when you twist and squeeze. Place the leaves on the cane sugar and lime juice, press straight down two or three times, then stop. The sugar crystals act as an abrasive, which is exactly why cane sugar works better than syrup. If you see black flecks in the glass, you have gone too far.
Mojito ingredients and choosing the rum
What is in mojito, and what should not be in it? The base is white rum, fresh lime juice, cane sugar, fresh mint, soda water and crushed ice. Many people make it into a Bacardi mojito at home, and Bacardi Carta Blanca is suitable for this too: a light white rum that does not overpower the mint. A fuller Cuban or Puerto Rican white rum gives more body. Measure with a jigger, because the ratio of 4.5 cl rum to 3 cl lime juice determines whether the drink stays fresh or becomes too sour.
How to make mojito without crushed ice
How do you make mojito if you do not have crushed ice at home? Wrap ice cubes in a clean tea towel and hit them with a rolling pin until you have coarse pieces; they melt faster than whole cubes and dilute the mojito cocktail just enough. Then fill the glass completely with ice, because a glass that is only half full melts faster and becomes watery. Do not use ice chips that have already clumped together in the freezer. Chill the glass beforehand so the drink stays cold longer.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is in a Mojito?
A Mojito contains 4.5 cl white rum, 3 cl fresh lime juice, 2 teaspoons cane sugar, 8 to 10 fresh mint leaves, soda water and crushed ice. First dissolve the sugar in the lime juice; press the mint only gently, as crushing it makes the cocktail bitter.
How do I make the perfect Mojito?
First dissolve the cane sugar in the lime juice, press the mint gently, fill the glass with crushed ice and pour the rum over it. Top up with soda water and a generous sprig of mint. Use a tall glass with a thick base that you can press the ingredients in; see our highball glasses.
How do I make an original Mojito?
The Cuban base is white rum, fresh lime juice, cane sugar, mint and soda water, built in the glass rather than shaken. Do not use ready-made syrup or lime concentrate, and clap the mint briefly between your hands, exactly as they do in Havana.
How do you make a Mojito without alcohol?
Leave out the rum and top up with extra soda water or sparkling lime water; the rest of the recipe remains unchanged. Sugar, lime, mint and plenty of crushed ice preserve the full character. Find our full recipe on the Virgin Mojito page.
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