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Classic Mojito Recipe (Plus the No-Muddle 2-Minute Version)
Table of Contents
A classic mojito is 2 oz white rum, 1 oz fresh lime juice, 1 oz simple syrup, and 8 to 10 fresh mint leaves, gently muddled in a tall glass, filled with ice, and topped with club soda.
That is the entire blueprint. Oh, and not going Karate Kid on the mint. Bruising the mint is real, folks.
The mojito was being poured in Havana long before it became the drink Bacardi hired Camila Cabello to sell.
Rum, lime, mint, sugar, and bubbles is an act of libational alchemy, and in the summer heat it's borderline medicinal.
(P.S. National Rum Day is August 16, if you needed a formal excuse. But, of course, you do not.)
The two-minute version comes first.
The 2-Minute Mojito (White's Mojito Mix)
The mix already contains the lime juice, real mint, and pure cane sugar, so no muddling, no hunting for mint that hasn't wilted, and no dangerous, slightly inebriated lime cutting after an overly aggressive pre-game. You add rum and soda. White's Mojito Mix handles the rest.
Ingredients:
- 4 oz White's Mojito Mix
- 2 oz white rum
- 2 oz club soda, to top
- Ice
- 1 fresh mint sprig and 1 lime wheel, for garnish
Instructions:
- Fill a tall glass with ice.
- Pour in 4 oz White's Mojito Mix and 2 oz white rum.
- Top with 2 oz club soda and stir gently.
- Garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wheel.
Done. You are now in Key West, at least from the neck up.
The Story of the Mojito
The mojito's ancestor is a 16th-century elixir. Sir Francis Drake's crew, anchored near Havana and losing an argument with scurvy, was dosed with a local remedy of raw cane spirit, lime, mint, and sugar. They named it El Draque, after the boss. It was medicine in the way grog was medicine, which is to say everyone asked for an immediate refill of their prescription.
Swap the harsh aguardiente for proper Cuban rum a few centuries later and you have the mojito. The name's origin is hotly debated, as all good cocktail names are: possibly from mojo, the Cuban citrus seasoning, possibly from mojadito, “a little wet.” Havana didn't much care and neither do we.
Hell, you can even pronounce it "MO-GeeTOE," we do not give a flying mint sprig.
By the 20th century it was the house pride of La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, where a scrawled note attributed to Hemingway claims it as his mojito spot. Historians mostly agree Hemingway didn't write it. The bar, sensibly, has never taken it down. Legends sell drinks, but the drink held up its end of the deal for four hundred years first.
What Each Ingredient Is Doing
White rum is the engine. Good white rum tastes grassy and lightly sweet, cane sugar's memory of being a plant. It carries the drink without demanding attention.
Mint is the whole personality, and it works by aroma, not juice. Spearmint is the classic (Cuba uses hierbabuena, its cousin). We prefer to use spearmint and peppermint here at White's Elixirs. The oils live on the surface of the leaf, which is why the correct muddle is a gentle press and the incorrect muddle is a crime scene. More on that below.
Fresh lime juice is the spine. It pushes back against the sugar so the drink finishes crisp instead of sticky. That said, juicing limes on the moment is not always an option, so feel no guilt if you want to use bottled.
Sugar balances the lime. Simple syrup beats granulated sugar in a cold drink for one boring, decisive reason: it's already dissolved. Granulated sugar in an iced drink mostly ends up as a gritty souvenir at the bottom of the glass.
Club soda lifts everything. It stretches the drink tall, carries the mint aroma upward, and keeps a two-ounce pour of rum refreshing instead of stiff.
For the record, that first list is why the easy version works: the mix is real lime juice, real mint, and pure cane sugar already balanced, not a lab's impression of them.
Choosing Your Rum (and What It Changes)
The rum is half the drink, and swapping it rewrites the mojito's personality. A field guide:
White rum is the classic: clean, grassy, lightly sweet, and happy to share the stage with the mint. Any honest white rum you'd drink in a daiquiri will make a proper mojito. There is no need to spend into the collector shelf; the mint will not notice.
Aged and gold rums bring caramel, vanilla, and a little oak in from the barrel. The mojito turns rounder and warmer, closer to an evening drink than a porch drink. Pair one with demerara syrup from the sugar section below and the drink gets downright cozy.
Jamaican rum is the funky one: ripe banana, tropical fruit on the turn, flavors with opinions. It makes a louder mojito. Some afternoons call for a louder mojito.
Rhum agricole, distilled from fresh cane juice instead of molasses, tastes green, grassy, and slightly wild. It makes the most herbal mojito of the lot, with the mint and the cane speaking the same language.
Cachaça is Brazil's cane spirit, and using it nudges the mojito toward its cousin the caipirinha. Grassy, fruity, entirely pleasant. We won't tell Brazil if you won't. Honestly, it tastes closer to tequila to us.
Dark rum works best as a float on the finished drink rather than the base, where its molasses weight would flatten the mint. That's the Dirty Mojito, waiting for you in the variations below.
Spiced rum argues with the mint all the way down the glass. Both of them lose. Pass. Wait to release the Kraken for a Dark N' Stormy.
The Sugar Question
The classic build calls for simple syrup, which is white cane sugar that has already given up the fight. But sugar is a real lever in this drink, and each kind pulls the mojito somewhere different.
White cane sugar, as simple syrup, is the standard: clean, neutral sweetness that balances the lime and stays out of the mint's way. If you want the mojito a good bar would hand you, this is it.
Sugarcane juice (guarapo) is the ancestral option, and in Cuba it still turns up. Fresh-pressed cane tastes green and grassy, sweetness with chlorophyll manners. If you ever meet it, try it once and feel historical.
Demerara and turbinado are the raw sugars: bigger crystals, a toffee-and-molasses edge. They make a rounder, warmer mojito that pairs beautifully with aged rum. Turn them into a rich syrup first, two parts sugar to one part hot water, because raw crystals treat a cold drink as a personal insult and refuse to dissolve in it.
Brown sugar leans the same direction, harder. Light brown adds a caramel hum. Dark brown brings actual molasses and starts steering the drink toward the tiki aisle.
Honey and agave both work as syrups, with personalities. Honey is floral and makes itself known; agave is cleaner, a touch earthy, and dissolves without complaint.
The one to skip is powdered sugar. It's cut with cornstarch, which is how a clear, sparkling drink becomes a cloudy one.
The Classic From-Scratch Build
Ingredients:
- 2 oz white rum
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 8 to 10 fresh mint leaves
- 4 oz club soda, to top and stir
- Ice
- 1 fresh mint sprig and 1 lime wheel, for garnish
Instructions:
- Add the mint leaves, 1 oz lime juice, and 1 oz simple syrup to a tall glass.
- Press the mint gently with a muddler 3 or 4 times to release the oils. Do not shred it.
- Fill the glass with ice and add 2 oz white rum.
- Stir in 4 oz club soda, gently, from the bottom up. (Or swap the soda for a lime hard seltzer and call it a Hard Mojito.)
- Garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wheel.
No simple syrup on hand? White's makes that too, and it keeps in the fridge for exactly this moment.
Tips From Behind the Bar
Muddle like you mean it, which is to say, barely. Mint releases its aroma from the surface of the leaf. Pulverizing it releases chlorophyll, which tastes like a lawn. Press, twist slightly, stop.
Slap your garnish. Give the mint sprig one firm clap between your palms before it goes in the glass. It wakes up the aroma, and it looks professional in a way that costs nothing.
Crushed ice is the upgrade. A mojito over crushed ice drinks colder and slower. A zip-top bag and a rolling pin will get you there, and it is excellent stress relief.
Soda goes last, gently. Pour it down the inside of the glass and stir from the bottom up once. Aggressive stirring is how a tall, lively drink becomes a flat one.
Variations Worth Your Time
Dirty Mojito: build the classic, then float ½ oz dark rum on top. It sinks through the drink slowly, like a rumor.
Strawberry Mojito: muddle 2 hulled strawberries with the mint in the from-scratch build, or drop 2 sliced strawberries into the easy build and stir.
Pineapple Mojito: swap 1 oz of the club soda for 1 oz pineapple juice. Slightly less fizzy, noticeably more vacation.
Poblano Mojito: two thin slices of poblano muddled with the mint, and/or an ounce of Ancho Reyes Verde. Gentle heat, very green, surprisingly polite about it.
If tall and refreshing is your genre, the classic Moscow Mule and the Paloma are the mojito's cousins and worth a visit.
Classic Mojito FAQ
What is the best rum for a mojito?
White rum is the traditional choice. It is light, clean, and lets the mint and lime lead. An aged or gold rum gives a richer, rounder mojito with caramel notes. Avoid heavily spiced rums, which argue with the mint.
Should you shake a mojito?
Not classically. A mojito is often built directly in the glass and stirred. Many modern bartenders prefer to shake the ingredients with ice and strain them to keep loose mint flakes out of the straw. If you do shake and strain, save the soda water for after or you're going to get wet on this ride.
Why does my mojito taste bitter?
Over-muddled mint. Crushing the leaves hard releases chlorophyll, which turns the drink bitter and vegetal. Press the leaves gently a few times and stop while you're ahead.
How do you make mojitos for a crowd?
Batch everything except the soda. For 8 drinks, combine 16 oz white rum with 32 oz White's Mojito Mix (or the scaled from-scratch equivalent) in a pitcher and chill. Pour over ice and top each glass with soda at serving time so the fizz survives the party.
What glass is a mojito served in?
A highball or Collins glass. Tall and narrow keeps the bubbles lively and leaves room for ice and mint. In an emergency, any tall vessel you own is a Collins glass now.