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The Mojito is Cuba’s gift to the cocktail world and the most commonly ruined drink at any bar that is not specifically a Cuban bar. The recipe is simple. White rum, lime juice, sugar, mint, ice, soda. Six ingredients, all of them cheap, in a tall glass over crushed ice.

What goes wrong is muddling. Bartenders attack the mint like it owes them money, smashing the leaves into a green pulp at the bottom of the glass. That pulp tastes bitter and chlorophyll-heavy and nothing like a Mojito should. The whole point of muddling is to bruise the leaves enough to release the oil, not to commit a crime against herbs.

Hemingway claimed his favourite Mojito was at La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, and his favourite Daiquiri was at El Floridita. He may not have actually said this; the bar put his quote on the wall and nobody went looking for the source. Either way, the Mojito he would have been served there is the one we are after: gently muddled, freshly built, ice last, soda on top.

The Mojito is also a hot weather drink. Try one in winter and it feels wrong. Try one on a Saturday afternoon in 32-degree heat and it is the best decision you will make all week.

Mojito Cocktail

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White rum, lime, sugar, mint, soda water. Cuba's national cocktail in a tall glass, properly muddled, no blender involved.
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Prep Time 4 minutes
Total Time 4 minutes
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
 

  • 2 oz White rum Bacardi or similar
  • 1 oz Fresh lime juice about half a lime
  • 2 tsp White sugar or 1/2 oz simple syrup
  • 8-10 Fresh mint leaves plus a sprig to garnish
  • Club soda to top, about 2 oz
  • Crushed ice

Instructions
 

Muddle the mint:
  1. Add 8 to 10 mint leaves and the sugar to a tall highball glass. Press gently with a muddler about 5 to 6 times. You are bruising the mint to release the oil, not pulverising it. Aggressive muddling tears the leaves and makes the drink bitter.
Build:
  1. Add the lime juice and rum. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
  2. Fill the glass with crushed ice.
  3. Top with about 2 oz of club soda.
  4. Stir from the bottom up to mix the mint and sugar through the drink.
Garnish:
  1. Slap a fresh mint sprig between your palms (releases more oil) and tuck it into the top of the glass. Add a lime wedge on the rim if you want.

Nutrition

Calories: 170kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 0.3gSodium: 0.02mgSugar: 11g

Notes

Brown sugar versus white: original Cuban Mojitos use white. Brown adds molasses notes that some bartenders love and others hate. Your call.
Slapping the mint between your palms is not a bartender flex. It really does release more oil from the leaves than gently placing it on top.
Do not use a blender. Frozen Mojitos exist but they are a different drink. A real Mojito is built in the glass, ice last, fizz on top.
Servings: 1 cocktail
Calories: 170

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Tips That Actually Matter

  • Bruise the mint, do not destroy it. Five or six gentle presses with the muddler. The leaves should still look like leaves when you finish.
  • Crushed ice, not cubes. Crushed ice keeps the drink colder and looks the part. Cubes work but the texture is wrong.
  • Slap the garnish mint. Between your palms, once. Releases the oil into the air around the glass and you smell it before you sip. That smell is half the drink.

I’m Scotty Boxa. Australian author, professional bad decision maker, and the bloke responsible for the rest of this website.

If this recipe made you laugh, you’ll like the rest of what I do. I write books that are mostly true stories about cocktails, travel, and the disasters that come with both. If you want a starter pack, grab the free PDF below. No email required, just take it.