The cocktail Cuba taught the world. White rum, fresh mint, lime, sugar, soda water. Five ingredients, two seconds of muddling, one drink that tastes like a Caribbean afternoon. Don’t over-muddle the mint – bruise it, don’t pulverise it.
Cuban classic. White rum, lime, mint, sugar, soda. Bright, fresh, the easiest crowd-pleaser in the book.
Ingredients
8-10 fresh mint leaves
15mlsimple syrup (or 1 tsp white sugar)
25mlfresh lime juice (about half a lime)
50mlwhite rum
Soda water, to top
Crushed ice
1mint sprig + 1 lime wheel, to garnish
Instructions
Add the mint leaves and simple syrup to a tall highball glass. Press the mint gently with a muddler 5-6 times to release the oils. Do not pulverise the leaves or the drink will be bitter.
Add the fresh lime juice and white rum.
Fill the glass with crushed ice (or regular ice cubes if no crushed available).
Top with soda water. Stir gently with a bar spoon to combine.
Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and a lime wheel. Add a straw and serve immediately.
Notes
Slap the mint sprig against your palm before garnishing. The slap releases the aromatic oils so the drinker smells the mint with every sip. It's a small thing that makes the drink feel intentional.
Glass
Highball
Serves
1
Ingredients
8-10 fresh mint leaves
15ml / 0.5oz simple syrup (or 1 tsp white sugar)
25ml / 1oz fresh lime juice (about half a lime)
50ml / 1.75oz white rum
Soda water, to top
Crushed ice
1 mint sprig + 1 lime wheel, to garnish
Instructions
Add the mint leaves and simple syrup to a tall highball glass. Press the mint gently with a muddler 5-6 times to release the oils. Do not pulverise the leaves or the drink will be bitter.
Add the fresh lime juice and white rum.
Fill the glass with crushed ice (or regular ice cubes if no crushed available).
Top with soda water. Stir gently with a bar spoon to combine.
Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and a lime wheel. Add a straw and serve immediately.
Drink Lab Pro Tip
Slap the mint sprig against your palm before garnishing. The slap releases the aromatic oils so the drinker smells the mint with every sip. It’s a small thing that makes the drink feel intentional.
Where it came from
The Mojito traces to 1500s Cuba, where a primitive ancestor (called El Draque, after the English privateer Sir Francis Drake) was used as a treatment for tropical disease. White rum, lime, sugar, and mint were all available locally.
The modern Mojito was popularised at La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana in the 1940s. Ernest Hemingway drank them there, allegedly. The bar still operates today and the line of tourists outside is essentially permanent.
It went global in the 2000s and now sits comfortably in the global top-five most-ordered cocktails.
What it tastes like
Mint freshness up front, lime tartness in the middle, soft white rum on the finish, soda water lifting everything. Light, bright, and impossibly refreshing – the cocktail equivalent of jumping into a cold pool on a hot day.
Made well, it tastes balanced. Made badly (over-muddled mint, too much sugar, no fresh lime), it tastes like cough syrup.
The technique
Mint handling is everything. Press the leaves 5-6 times with a muddler to bruise them and release the oils. Pulverising the leaves releases bitter chlorophyll compounds that ruin the drink. Bruise, don’t crush.
Use crushed ice if you have it. Crushed ice chills the drink faster and dilutes evenly. Cubed ice works at home but the texture is rougher.
Fresh lime juice is non-negotiable. Bottled lime juice has a flat, sour-candy character that makes the Mojito taste cheap. Squeeze a fresh lime.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The bottles that make or break this drink.
White Rum
What it is
Light Caribbean rum, unaged or briefly rested. Bacardi Carta Blanca, Havana Club 3, or any 40% white rum. Cuban or Puerto Rican rums are most authentic.
Why we use it here
Carries the alcohol without competing with the mint. Dark or aged rums are too heavy.
Drink Lab pick
Havana Club 3 (where legal) or Bacardi Carta Blanca. Plantation 3 Stars is also excellent.
Substitute
Light rum from any country works. Skip dark rum, gin, or vodka – they all change the drink character.
Fresh Mint
What it is
Spearmint leaves, fresh, ideally picked the day of use. Yerba Buena (Cuban mint) is the traditional but rare. Spearmint is the standard substitute.
Why we use it here
Defining flavour. Without fresh mint there is no Mojito.
Drink Lab pick
Spearmint from any supermarket. Fresh leaves only – dried mint is wrong.
Substitute
Peppermint at a stretch (different, more menthol). No real substitute.
Variations
Six worth-knowing Mojito variants and rum cousins.
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
No fresh mint?
Then you cannot make a Mojito. Basil works for a different drink (a Strawberry-Basil Mojito-adjacent thing). Dried mint is wrong.
No white rum?
Light vodka makes a Vodka Mojito. Skip dark or aged rum – too heavy.
No fresh lime?
Bottled lime juice is acceptable in a pinch but the drink loses 30% of its quality.
No simple syrup?
1 teaspoon white sugar (muddle with the mint to dissolve). Honey or agave at a stretch.
No soda water?
Sparkling water works. Tonic water adds bitterness (different drink). Sprite or 7Up makes it too sweet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
What is in a Mojito?
50ml white rum, 25ml fresh lime juice, 15ml simple syrup, 8-10 fresh mint leaves, soda water to top, crushed ice, mint sprig and lime wheel garnish.
How do you muddle mint without making it bitter?
Press gently 5-6 times with a muddler to bruise the leaves and release the oils. Do not pulverise. If the mint looks crushed and dark, you went too hard.
Is a Mojito strong?
Light to moderate. ABV around 10-12% in the glass. The soda water and ice keep it refreshing rather than boozy.
What is the best rum for a Mojito?
Havana Club 3 (Cuban, authentic) or Bacardi Carta Blanca. Light, clean white rums in the 40% ABV range. Avoid dark or aged rums.
Can you make a Mojito ahead of time?
You can pre-muddle the mint with sugar and lime, but add the rum and soda fresh per drink. Pre-mixed Mojitos lose their fizz and taste flat.
Where did the Mojito come from?
1500s Cuba. The modern version was popularised at La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana in the 1940s, allegedly drunk by Ernest Hemingway.
Can you use peppermint instead of spearmint?
Spearmint is traditional and gives the right flavour. Peppermint is more menthol-forward and changes the drink character. Use spearmint where possible.
What is the difference between a Mojito and a Caipirinha?
Different spirits and no mint in a Caipirinha. The Caipirinha uses cachaça (Brazilian sugarcane spirit) muddled with lime and sugar – no mint, no soda. The Mojito is its mintier, fizzier Cuban cousin.
DL
From the Drink Lab catalogue
Drink Lab has been collecting cocktail recipes since 2013. Some we wrote ourselves, plenty came in from readers, and the rest got passed across a bar somewhere along the way.
