Mojito

Mojito
Craig Lee for The New York Times
Total Time
5 minutes
Rating
4(760)
Notes
Read community notes

You can drink a mint mojito without really thinking about it, and that's a pretty good recommendation for a summer cocktail. This version is straightforward and simply perfect for a hot day. Muddle a handful of fresh mint leaves and some lime juice in the bottom of a glass. Then add rum, sugar, ice and a bit of club soda. Shake and serve with other Cuban dishes. The mojito originated in Cuba as a farmers' drink in the late 19th century as Cuba's rum industry modernized, making the mint mojito as common as beer. Only the rich drank it with ice and soda. —William L. Hamilton

Featured in: SHAKEN AND STIRRED; 'Buena Vista' in a Glass

Learn: How to Make Cocktails

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Ingredients

Yield:1 serving
  • 1ounce mint leaves, torn in half
  • 2ounces fresh lime juice
  • ounces white rum
  • 1teaspoon extra-fine granulated sugar
  • Crushed ice
  • 4ounces club soda
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Muddle (crush with a pestle) the mint with the lime juice in the bottom of a tall cocktail glass.

  2. Step 2

    Add the rum, sugar, crushed ice and soda. Cover and shake, and uncover, serving with a lime wedge.

Ratings

4 out of 5
760 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Scaled this up in 6 qt pitcher to get a summer dinner party going, adding a slash of soda during serving. Had chilled mason jars in the fridge with ice already in them. Very easy way to greet your guests with something fun and tropical.

I suggest drinking this while reading The Night Manager by John Le Carre. (See the Amazon show based on the book, too!)

I suggest using the recipe from Mr. Boston where you use the roughness of the regular sugar to muddle the mint leaves. It's just a perfect drink. Also, how you're supposed to measure mint leaves by the ounce is strange...

Ok, I lived in a Cuban neighborhood in Miami when Mojitos first became popular in the US and this is not a Mojito. Wayyyy too much lime. There should be just a hint. It should not be sour.

Not sweet enough at all! Can barely taste the rum. From my trips to Miami all the mojitos are pretty sweet, some even served with sugarcane in the traditional places. More rum and more simple syrup opposed to granulated sugar worked for me. Get a nice rum so the taste is lovely. Ratio is 1oz simple syrup, 1oz lime juice, 2oz rum. Never shake a drink with club soda, it will explode in your shaker. Top it off with the soda and garnish with lots of lime and extra mint.

We only had dark rum on hand and they were delicious. My guests asked for my "secret."

2 ounces of lime juice was too much lime for me and my company. We prefer 1 ounce.

NEVER make a mojito like this recipe calls for. It will turn you off a timeless drink. I've bartended in Vegas, LA, and Denver - 15 years running. 1. Mint should never be "torn in half". It should be muddled firmly but not enough to tear it in the bottom of glass or shaker. 2. Lime and sugar should be roughly equal parts, with a bit more lime juice than sugar. (Lemon juice is equal parts) 3. As others have said, never add soda water before shaking. Always after and use fresh ice.

You want to add soda after shaking, alway after shaking.

I don't like overly sweet drinks, but this needed 2 teaspoons sugar to balance the lime juice.

Made this for my partner on a super hot solstice evening. She likes a nice tart citrus drink, but this was way too sour. Also, I didn't try shaking the soda water in the drink, but that seemske a disaster waiting to happen.

This recipe just did not work for me. I photographed the pile of mint before commencing to muddle - it was an absurd amount for one tall glass. I made two drinks out of it - too much mint. I love a mojito that is not overly sweet, but I doubled the sugar and it was still tart. I would post the photo if I had the option.

I once spent a week in Havana were we searched for the perfect mojito. Two oz. of lime juice is way too much and 4 oz.of club is also too much. More rum is always better. The perfect mojito uses Havana Club and try a dash of bitters.

I prefer to strain the cocktail and garnish with a fresh sprig of mint at the end. No need to have guests picking crushed mint fragments from their teeth.

This recipe got us through the summer! I sometimes swapped some of the mint for basil so I could use what was in the garden. I did have success in using less sugar; I think it comes down to personal preference...so you may want to follow the recommendation to start.

We used a white rum that we had turned into fifths of vanilla for this. The rum has turned a mid dark color, so the drink was not a clearer color, but yummy. And yes, we have two cases of rum all with about 15 A beans in them for going onto 3 years now.

Ooops, that is 15 beans per bottle, Bourbon vanilla beans in most a few with Tahitian beans.

Too much lime in relation to rum.

Not a good mojito at all. I added 1.5 oz lime and its still too sour.. I increased the sugar to 2 tsp to compensate. Really nothing like the real mojitos Ive enjoyed in nyc and miami.

Any tips for those who prefer to omit the booze? TIA.

Made this last night and it tasted like drinking lime juice! Definitely not the proportions I really wanted

I suggest trying this with a slightly aged rum, nothing too expensive. It gives the drink some delicious vanilla and brown notes making for a much more interesting mojito.

Mint simple syrup is an excellent alternative to the added sugar. Can top off with mint leaves or muddle, but the mint flavor shines through in the simple syrup.

I disclose my greatest secret: the Mojito Batido. Put your glass in a freezer. Using a scale to measure carefully, put in a blender: 12 spearmint or peppermint leaves, 100 grams ice, 20 g sugar, 50 g lime juice, 50 g white rum. Blend 'til smooth. Take glass from freezer and pour. It will be gorgeous green & foamy. Too much mint will taste like asphalt. Too little mint, it's not a Mojito. Scales easily to any size.

Sorry, poor recipe. Fully agree with comments on lime and seltzer. Too much lime! And shaking seltzer defeats the purpose, might as well just add water.

Any drink that calls for club soda is improved by using champagne instead.

Best cocktail for a summer day. If you want to add more flavors, muddle 6 raspberries w/ the mint.

Ohhhh thanks for this tip! Had a cocktail hour last night with some friends who aren't into super boozy drinks and this helped tone down the rum & sweeten things up a bit.

Made this the rustic way: muddle two lime quarters with mint leaves, add two more lime quarters and caster sugar, muddle again. Then add rum, ice and soda and stir

To make a real Mojito you need Mojito mint (Mentha x villosa). Regular mint just doesn't work.

Caramelos you are 100% right. If people are wondering why this doesn't taste like a mojito in Cuba it's because they are using the wrong mint. Where I live mojito mint is easily available at garden shops and it grows easily with little effort.

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Credits

From Cuba Cafe

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