Ingredients
- 6 Mint Leaves plus additional for garnish
- 3 Strawberries plus more for garnish
- 2 oz White Rum
- 1 oz Lime Juice
- 1 oz Sugar Syrup
- 4 oz Soda Water
Instructions
Prepare the Ingredients:
- Slice 3 strawberries in half.
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle 6 mint leaves. Add the strawberries and muddle again to release the flavors.
Mix the Cocktail:
- Add 2 oz white rum, 1 oz lime juice, and 1 oz simple syrup (or maple syrup) to the shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and shake until cold.
Serve:
- Place ice into a glass. Strain the liquid from the shaker into the glass.
- Top off the glass with 4 oz soda water. Garnish with additional mint leaves and sliced strawberries.
Pitcher Variation:
- Muddle 1 pint of strawberries (24 berries). Add to the Mojito Pitcher recipe, and garnish with additional sliced strawberries.
Notes
- Fresh Ingredients: Use fresh, ripe strawberries and fresh mint leaves for the best flavor.
- Simple Syrup: To make simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and water, and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Cool before using.
- Chilled Glass: For an extra refreshing drink, chill your glass in the freezer before serving.
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
Fruit-forward Mojito variations exist on every Caribbean menu. The strawberry version became the most popular in the early 2000s as bars looked for ways to make the Mojito more dessert-friendly. Now it is the second-most-ordered Mojito after the original.
It works because strawberry and mint are an old food-pairing combo that goes back centuries (think strawberry-mint salads, strawberry-basil panna cotta). The cocktail just adds rum.
What it tastes like
Sweet strawberry up front, mint freshness in the middle, lime tartness on the finish, soda fizz throughout. Lighter and pinker than a regular Mojito, with the strawberry doing about 60% of the flavour talking.
Drinks like adult fruit punch.
The technique
In a tall highball glass, muddle 3-4 hulled strawberries with 8-10 fresh mint leaves and 15ml simple syrup. Add 50ml white rum, the juice of half a lime, and fill with crushed ice. Top with soda water, stir gently with a bar spoon to lift the strawberry pulp, garnish with a strawberry and mint sprig.
Don’t over-muddle the mint – 5-6 firm presses to release the oils, no more. Pulverising it releases bitter compounds.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The bottles that make or break this drink.
White Rum
- What it is
- Light, clean, lightly-aged or unaged Caribbean rum. Bacardi Carta Blanca, Havana Club 3, or any 40% white rum.
- Why we use it here
- Carries the alcohol without competing with the strawberry and mint. Dark rum would muddy the colour and the flavour.
- Drink Lab pick
- Bacardi Carta Blanca or Havana Club 3.
- Substitute
- Light vodka if you must (different drink). Skip dark rum here.
Fresh Strawberries
- What it is
- Whole ripe strawberries, hulled, sliced if very large.
- Why we use it here
- The flavour identity. Frozen strawberries work but make a slushier drink.
- Drink Lab pick
- In-season strawberries are night-and-day better. Out of season, frozen is fine.
- Substitute
- Strawberry puree or jam (1 tsp) at a stretch. Other berries (raspberry, blueberry) make different drinks but follow the same template.
What if I don’t have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
Frozen strawberries (slightly slushier drink). Strawberry jam (1 tsp). Strawberry syrup (10ml).
Basil works (different but excellent). Skipping mint changes the drink to a Strawberry Daiquiri-adjacent.
Vodka makes a strawberry mint mule-adjacent. Gin works but the botanicals fight the strawberry.
Caster sugar (1 tsp). Agave syrup. Honey at a stretch (warmer flavour).
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
What is in a Strawberry Mojito?
Should you muddle the strawberries?
Can you make a Strawberry Mojito without rum?
What is the best rum for a Strawberry Mojito?
Can you use frozen strawberries?
What is the difference between a regular Mojito and a Strawberry Mojito?
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