How to Make a Mojito: Simple Mojito Cocktail Recipe
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Nov 30, 2024 • 2 min read
A highball cocktail with origins in Cuba, the Mojito is one of the most popular cocktails worldwide. Served on the rocks and full of refreshing lime and mint flavor, a Mojito is the perfect summer cocktail.
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How to Make a Mojito: 6 Essential Mojito Ingredients
A Mojito can be shaken in a cocktail shaker or mixed directly in a highball glass. However you make it, a classic Mojito requires six ingredients:
- 1. Sugar: Sugar cane juice is the traditional sweetener for Mojitos, but simple syrup is a more accessible alternative. Some Mojito recipes call for muddling confectioners’ sugar or superfine sugar with fresh lime juice.
- 2. Fresh mint: Muddling mint leaves releases their essential oils. Use the best quality mint you can find. If you don't have a muddler, use the back of a wooden spoon.
- 3. Lime: The acidity of freshly squeezed lime juice balances the rum. Hand-squeezing the lime releases additional oils from the rind.
- 4. White rum: Cuban white rum is the classic choice for a Mojito, but it’s perfectly acceptable to use a light rum. If you want to make a Dirty Mojito, use gold rum and raw or demerara sugar. Use dark rum to make a Dark Rum Mojito.
- 5. Club soda: Since there’s already sugar and lime juice in this drink, you’ll want to top it off with unsweetened, unflavored soda water.
- 6. Ice: How you make your Mojito determines the type of ice you should use. Ice cubes are best for shaken Mojitos, but you may want to use a combination of crushed ice and cubes for a built-in-glass Mojito.
Learn How Mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana Makes a Mojito
Classic Mojito Cocktail Recipe
makes
1 cocktailprep time
5 mintotal time
5 minIngredients
- 1
Separate the mint leaves from their stems, leaving the tops intact. Set the stems and tops aside.
- 2
Drop the leaves into the bottom of a highball glass. Combine the rest of the ingredients in the glass.
- 3
Stir lightly to combine the ingredients. Add crushed ice until the glass is about halfway full. Using a bar spoon, pull some of the mint up from the bottom of the glass while swizzling the liquid and ice. Be careful not to bruise or tear the mint; likewise, don’t agitate the mix too vigorously. Top off the highball glass with plenty of crushed ice, and insert a straw.
- 4
Make a mint bouquet: Collect the stems and mint tops from step one and place them tightly in your palm. Lightly brush them with your opposite hand until they are upright and uniform. For extra aromatic effect, slap the mint bouquet against the back end of your opposite hand. Insert the bouquet in the ice next to the straw.
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