Mojito
Swizzle ∙ 3 min ∙ 14.8% ABV ∙
The Mojito is a Cuban highball of white rum, fresh mint, lime and sugar, swizzled over crushed ice and topped with soda water.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Add the first 5 ingredients into the chilled glass: White rum 60 mlFresh mint leaves 10 pcsLime juice 15 mlSugar syrup 10 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 3 dashes (opt.)
- Fill the glass 2/3 full with crushed ice
- Swizzle with a bar spoon
- Fill the glass with more crushed ice
- Top with Soda water
- Garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wedge
Tips
- Press the 10 mint leaves only lightly against the glass, if at all; hard muddling turns the drink bitter and murky.
- To swizzle, spin the swizzle stick or a bar spoon fast between your palms and work it up and down through the crushed ice. That chills and mixes the drink without watering it down.
History
The Mojito's roots trace to Havana, Cuba, though its exact origin is debated. Many accounts link it to a 16th-century medicinal drink called "El Draque," associated with the English privateer Sir Francis Drake, made by mixing raw sugarcane spirit with lime, sugar, and mint to mask the harsh taste of the liquor and, some say, to fend off scurvy.
Others attribute the drink's creation, and even the name itself, to enslaved Africans working Cuba's sugarcane fields, tracing "mojito" to the African word "mojo," while a rival theory derives the name from the Spanish verb "mojar," meaning "to wet." The drink is said to have taken its modern form and name in the mid-1800s, after Facundo Bacardí founded his rum company and aguardiente in the old Draque recipe was replaced with rum; Bacardí later promoted the Mojito in its advertising. Others credit American visitors during Prohibition-era travel to Cuba with popularizing the format via the Mint Julep. One of the earliest known written recipes appears as "Mojito Criollo" in the 1927 Cuban book El Arte De Hacer un Cocktail y Algo Más, followed by "Mojo de Ron" in Juan A. Lasa's 1929 Libro de Cocktail.
Havana's La Bodeguita del Medio bar is popularly credited as the birthplace of the modern Mojito, a claim tied to Ernest Hemingway's patronage there, though this is regarded as an urban legend rather than a documented fact.
FAQ
How do you make a Mojito?
Put the white rum, mint leaves, lime juice, sugar syrup and, if you like, the Angostura into a chilled Collins glass. Fill it two-thirds with crushed ice and swizzle with a bar spoon. Add more crushed ice, top with soda water, and garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wedge.
What ingredients are in a Mojito?
60 ml white rum, 10 fresh mint leaves, 15 ml lime juice and 10 ml sugar syrup, topped with 30 ml soda water. Three dashes of Angostura bitters are an optional extra.
What liquor is best for a Mojito?
White rum. Its clean, light taste lets the mint and lime lead, where an aged rum's oak and caramel would compete with them. A crisp, well-filtered white rum won't dull the citrus and herb.
What is the secret to a good Mojito?
Go easy on the mint: press it lightly, if at all, because hard muddling turns the drink bitter and murky. Then use plenty of crushed ice and swizzle hard, spinning the bar spoon between your palms. That chills and mixes the drink evenly before the soda goes on top.
What glass is a Mojito served in?
A Collins glass, packed with crushed ice and finished with a mint sprig and a lime wedge on top.
