French Mojito
Muddle; Churn ∙ 4 min ∙ 18.2% ABV ∙
A muddled mojito riff swapping in raspberry liqueur, the French Mojito mixes mint, light gold rum, and lime, churned over crushed ice. Crushed ice churning turns the glass frosty, delivering a bright, tart-sweet berry finish over a clean rum backbone with a cooling herbal snap.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- In the base of the glass, lightly muddle: Fresh mint leaves 12 pcs
- Add the remaining ingredients: Light gold rum 60 mlRaspberry liqueur 15 mlLime juice 30 mlSugar syrup 10 ml
- Half-fill the glass with crushed ice and churn with a bar spoon
- Continue to add crushed ice and churn until drink is level with glass rim
- Garnish with a raspberry and a mint sprig
Tips
- Muddle the mint leaves lightly and briefly — bruising rather than pulverizing avoids a bitter, grassy taste.
- Add the raspberry liqueur with the rest of the liquid rather than floating it, so its sweetness integrates through the churn.
- Pre-chill the glass before building so the crushed ice stays firm through the churn instead of melting fast.
History
The French Mojito has no documented creation story of its own: no source names a bartender, bar, or year for this raspberry-liqueur variant, which appears mainly as a modern recipe-card twist on the Mojito rather than a drink with its own traceable history.
It is a variation on the Mojito, a Cuban highball built from muddled mint, lime, sugar, and rum, whose own origin is disputed and only loosely documented; popular lore credits Havana's La Bodeguita del Medio, which opened in 1942 and is still commonly cited as the drink's birthplace even though the bar's own claim is questioned, and some trace a hazier lineage back centuries earlier. The French Mojito's defining change is swapping in a French black raspberry liqueur alongside the rum, lime, and mint, giving the drink its berry-forward color and flavor and its "French" name.
FAQ
What is in a French Mojito?
A French Mojito is muddled fresh mint, light gold rum, raspberry liqueur, lime juice, and sugar syrup, churned with crushed ice. The raspberry liqueur stands in for the plain sugar sweetness of a classic mojito, giving it a berry note and pink tint, and it is finished with a raspberry and a mint sprig.
How do you make a French Mojito?
Lightly muddle fresh mint in the base of a pre-chilled glass, then add the light gold rum, raspberry liqueur, lime juice, and sugar syrup. Half-fill with crushed ice and churn with a bar spoon, then keep adding ice and churning until the drink reaches the rim, finishing with a raspberry and mint sprig garnish.
