The mojito is the perfect combination of boldness and flavor without being overly complicated or pretentious. All it takes are five ingredients and five minutes of your time to put together this classic Cuban drink.

Thanks to its simplicity, this cocktail is also highly versatile. You can easily swap or add ingredients to make subtle flavor changes or create an entirely new drink. If you’re adventurous, you can also add your personal touches and create a signature mojito recipe to call your own.

These are the perfect addition to your repertoire of cocktails to serve at get-togethers, and if you’re without one, they’re a fantastic place to start.

In this article, we’ll go over what a mojito is, which rums are ideal for this cocktail, how to make a mojito, and some suggested equipment to up your mixology game in general.

Mojito cocktail

Mojitos are a traditional Cuban beverage served in a highball glass with white rum, lime juice, mint, and sugar. The mixture is topped off with soda water to soften and stretch the bold flavors and topped with ice, turning it into a refreshing and easy-going drink that’s perfect for summer weather. Since this cocktail only contains one alcoholic ingredient, the rum is the star of the show. That’s why it’s essential to choose a rum that will complement the other flavors.

What is the best rum for mojitos?

Mount Gay Silver Rum: This rum is smooth with hints of ripe fruit, toffee, cane, and butterscotch. Much like the mojito’s original alcohol, tafia, which makers distill from sugarcane, it’s sweet and offers a creamy finish.

Bacardi Superior: This is an ideal rum for mojitos as it’s smooth and subtle, but the flavor is not lost thanks to its notes of almond and vanilla. While you can enjoy it on its own, Bacardi Superior is excellent for mixing into drinks as the price is lower than pricier white rums that you may want to savor without any mixers.

Captain Morgan White Rum: This rum is perfect for mixing as it blends well with any of your favorite rum cocktails. It’s crisp, clean, and light with a slightly sweet aftertaste.

Suggested mojito equipment

Here’s a list of suggested tools that will help take your mojitos to the next level:

• Muddler: With this tool, you can smash your ingredients in the bottom of your glass to bring out the flavor, much like a softer pestle.

• Citrus juicer: Also known as a lemon squeezer, this tool helps extract and collect citrus fruit juice. It helps keep the pulp and any seeds out of your glass.

• Cocktail spoon: Also know as a bar spoon, this long-handled spoon will let you reach the bottom of taller glasses, like a highball, which makes it perfect for mixing mojitos.

• Measuring jigger: Essentially, this is a measuring cup for alcohol. It typically comes as two metal cups fused in an hourglass shape. Often, one cup will hold a jigger, which is an ounce and a half, and the other will hold half a jigger, which is three-quarters of an ounce. Using this tool is ideal in comparison to guessing with any old shot glass.

• Wide glass straws: These straws are far more sophisticated than plastic disposable ones, and getting them extra wide will help you drink up frozen mojitos, piña coladas, and daiquiris. What’s more is you can easily clean and reuse them, making them excellent for the environment and your wallet.

How to make mojitos

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This easy mint mojito recipe takes five minutes to prepare and makes one mojito. If you’re preparing multiple drinks, you can multiply the ingredients by the number of glasses you’re using. You can also craft this recipe in a pitcher by dividing your pitcher size by your glass size.

Mojito ingredients

• 8 fresh mint leaves

• 1/2 lime, sliced into four wedges

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or mojito simple syrup

• Ice

• 2 fluid ounces white rum

• Soda water

Directions

1. In a highball glass, add the mint leaves and two lime wedges.

2. Gently use a muddler or the end of a wooden spoon to mash them without tearing the leaves.

3. Add the sugar and remaining lime, mashing again.

4. Fill the rest of the glass with ice before pouring the rum into the glass.

5. Add the soda water until it almost reaches the rim of the glass, and give it a gentle stir to combine.

6. Use a mint leaf or lime to garnish.

7. Serve with a straw.

Nutritional values

• Calories: 184

• Carbohydrates: 14 grams

• Sodium: 11 milligrams

• Fiber: 1 gram

• Sugar: 10 grams

Original recipe: The Forked Spoon

Mojito variations

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Here are some ways you can add a boost of flavor to your mojito.

1. Adding bitters: Add three drops of Angostura bitters to round out the flavor and create depth.‍

2. Make it fruity: To make your mojito fruity, add eight fresh raspberries with the mint leaves, blend one small mango – deseeded and peeled – with your rum, or add two ounces of pear nectar with your rum and follow the rest of the directions listed in the recipe.‍

3. Cucumber mojito: To make a mojito that’s even more refreshing, peel a two-inch slice of cucumber, quarter it lengthwise, so each piece is pointed with a round edge, and add with the mint before mashing with the muddle or wooden spoon.

4. Add basil and lemon: Replace the limes in your mojito with lemon and add some basil sprigs to your mint for a slight herbal twist.

5. Dirty mojito: Are you craving a mojito but need to use up some gold rum? Make a dirty mojito. Swap out your white rum with gold and your granulated sugar with raw or demerara sugar. You can expect a flavor that’s a little darker, of course, but equally as tasty.

6. Coconut mojito: To make a tropical-tasting mojito, use coconut rum instead of white rum.

7. Mojito with Sprite: To add more sweetness and lime to your mojito, use Sprite or 7 Up instead of soda water. Doing so will dramatically increase the sugar content, but it’s a delicious treat.‍

8. Frozen mojito: To make a frozen variation of the drink, follow the directions for the main recipe, and when it comes time to add the ice, add two ounces of soda water first. Pour the drink into a blender with one cup of ice and blend until smooth. Pour it back into the glass and garnish.

Happy hour

If you’ve decided on making mojitos but you’re missing an ingredient, you can order it in seconds and get it to your door within a matter of minutes with Gopuff. Check out this article if you’re looking for another cocktail to serve alongside your mojitos. And for more food and drink inspiration, check out Gopuff’s blog.

Mojitos are ideally served cold on a warm day and enjoyed with friends safely and responsibly.