What Is A Traditional Mojito Cocktail And How Is A Mojito Mocktail Different
Traditionally, a mojito cocktail is made of white rum, lime juice, mint and sugar. The mint and lime are muddled with sugar to release the juice and flavours. Then, ice is added with rum and soda water.
This virgin strawberry mojito mocktail recipe is inspired by the original but omits the rum and uses healthier sugar alternatives. Strawberries, fresh mint, and lime juice are muddled together for a vibrant variation.
An Argument For Pebble Ice
While not totally necessary, the mojito is known for crushed ice. You can easily crush your own at home using a bag and mallet. A lot of people pick up ice from their local Sonic Drive-In, too. And if youre really committed to pebble ice, you can invest in a GE ice machine and indulge all year round.
Mojito Variations To Try:
- The Pink Strawberry Mojito Recipe – In this riff, the classic Mojito is elevated with the addition of strawberries as both an ingredient and garnish. A generous splash of grenadine adds a pleasant pink hue.
- The Jamaican Rum Punch Recipe – This small batch recipe uses a French press to extract flavors of cinnamon, mint, and jalapeño, along with rum and toasted coconut. The longer the mix marinates, the more powerful the flavor.
- The Blackberry Mojito Recipe – This tasty Mojito calls for blackberries, blackberry jam, and a sprinkling of sugar. Muddle the components with lime and mint to fully release all of the drinks flavors and aromas.
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Where Was The Mojito Invented
The mojito originated in Cuba, possibly derived from a 16th-century medicinal tonic known as El Draque . It’s said that in the 1800s, Africans who had been enslaved and working in Cuba’s sugarcane fields commonly took a similar elixir. As it advanced from tonic to beverage, the mint, lime, and sugar masked the taste of cheap rum. Havana lays claim to inventing the cocktail as it’s known today with the introduction of ice and soda. The mojito grabbed international attention when Americans flocked to Cuba during Prohibition. It was supposedly second to the daiquiri on Ernest Hemmingway’s list of favorite cocktails. Over the years, the rum improved, and the mojito’s fame spread immensely.
Secret To A Better Mojito
Before now, you may have made mojitos like this: You threw some mint, lime juice, and sugar into a glass and then mashed em up with a wooden spoon, or if you were feeling bartender-y, with a fancy muddler. Then you added a little booze and a lot of soda water, resulting in a sparkling, mint salad in a glass with a hint of rum.
No more. Youre better than that, and your mojitos should be too! The better way to make mojitos takes a little more time, patience, and effort, but is well worth it.
Take a mortar and pestle and slowly crush the mint and sugar with a splash of the rum until you have a very fine paste. After that, add the rest of the rum and let it infuse for a few minutes, then strain the mixture, and top with a bare splash of soda.
The result is a mojito that’s not only cleaner in appearance , but also endlessly more flavorful than any mojito youve previously experienced.
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The History Of The Mojito
The mojito, like many other cocktails, did not originate with its name. Instead, it was nothing more than a tonic used medicinally to help with common diseases and ailments, ostensibly remaining nameless for most of its earlier use.
That is until an English Naval Officer by the name of Francis Drake dropped his salt-crusted anchor into the shore outside of Havana, Cuba. At the time, his ship was ripe with scurvy and dysentery.
Eager to find a solution to their sickly inconveniences, a landing party went ashore and were introduced to a lovely concoction of aguardiente de caña mixed with lime, sugarcane juice, and mint.
As the crew found themselves recovering from their woes, they dubbed the elixir El Draque in honor of Drake himself, the man who sought refuge from the locals despite, of course, being there to pillage them on behalf of the Queen of England. Good ol colonialism.
The concoction was always a cocktail either for medicinal purposes or to help wash down the gnarly swill that was aguardiente de caña. Yet, it was inevitable that it would ultimately transform over time to become more refined into the traditional Cuban cocktail known as the mojito.
Oddly enough, the addition of soda water was among the transformations it sought to lighten up the mixed drink, making it more refreshing and ultimately changing this rum cocktail into what we know and love today.
What Makes This Mojito Recipe So Great
- Its super simple to make! Just combine the drink ingredients together, muddle the mint, shake, and pour over ice!
- Its so light and refreshing a great drink for a warm day.
- Its really versatile add more or less sugar, mint, or rum to customize it to your liking!
Even though this mojito recipe is so simple, people often have loads of questions. Here are some of the more common ones.
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The Perfect Glass For A Perfect Mojito
With the Mojito Glasses from Sur La Table, you’ll have the perfect container in which to mix and drink mojitos.
Thursday Bram
Thursday Bram is a freelance journalist of over five years experience. She has worked in real estate and property management, learning the hard way the difference between the appliances that people like and the appliances that actually work in a home. Thursday currently lives in Maryland.
Mojitos are the perfect summertime drink: a traditional mojito is a little sweet and a little tart, making it a refreshing drink for a hot summer day. Like many drinks, there are a special set of glassware just for mojitos. The Mojito Glasses, available in a set of four from Sur La Table, look like long Collins glasses. They’re usually a bit taller, though–you can still use a muddler to crush mint leaves against the bottom of the glass, but only just at 7 inches tall. If you don’t have a muddler, you can substitute a long teaspoon to mash up mint leaves in these glasses. Each glass holds 13.5 ounces, plenty of room for the rum, mint leaves, lime juice, soda water, sugar, and ice in the glass.
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Tips And Tricks For Making This Mojito Recipe
- While the best mint for this recipe is the Mojito Mint, any mint will still taste great!
- Dont muddle the mint too much! You want to break it down to release the flavor, but not turn it into a pulp.
- If you dont have a cocktail shaker, just use a large glass. Instead of shaking after muddling, stir the ingredients together vigorously with a utensil.
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What Kind Of Rum Should I Use
You want to use white or light rum just not spiced rum.
White rum is light-bodied and somewhat sweet in taste, and is distilled multiple times. Spiced rum is a blend and usual has notes of flavors like vanilla and caramel, and has a shorter distillation period.
Plus, white rum doesnt color the drink so it stays mostly clear in appearance so it even looks refreshing!
Mojito Pitcher For A Crowd Recipe
Please a crowd at any party, wedding, catered event, or other gathering with this mojito pitcher recipe. Simply pour all of the ingredients into a pitcher, mix them up, and serve. With this quick and easy recipe, you’ll have a tasty beverage for your guests in no time. Plus, you’ll be able to fulfill your guests’ demand for refills in a flash.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Twist on a classic: The traditional mojito, which originated in Havana, Cuba, contains rum, lime, mint, sugar, and typically club soda. Our version keeps that same tried and true base, plus the addition of pineapple juice for extra tropical flair, and sparkling wine in place of club soda for an extra boozy drink.
- Quick and easy: You only need 6 ingredients and less than 10 minutes to make one of these easy pineapple mojitos.
- Sweet, tart and refreshing: The combination of sweet pineapple juice, tart lime juice and refreshing mint makes for a perfectly balanced cocktail!
How To Make A Lemon Mojito
To make Lemon Mojitos youre going to need these ingredients:
- Soda water
- Crushed ice
In a tumbler or Collins glass, mull using a cocktail muddler, 6-7 mint sprigs with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 quartered lemon. This helps release the mint flavor! Firmly and slowly, press down on the lemons and mint a few times. Add a shot of white rum and crushed ice. Combine using a large spoon. Top with soda water and garnish with sprig of mint leaves.
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Summer Is Mojito Season
Before we begin, weve really got to get a couple things straight. In my book, these are deal breakers. Get it right. After all warm weather is Mojito Season. But let me explain:
1) The mojito should be served in a tall glass. Collins, pint, take your pick, but far too many bars and bartenders have taken to serving this drink in a rocks glass. Dont get me wrong, I understand why. Both bars and bartenders are under constant pressure from guests to Make it strong while trying to maintain a healthy profit margin. Answer? Put it in a smaller glass. Unfortunately, there is too much stuff/garbage in this drink for a rocks glass to handle. The other aspect to keep in mind is the point of the drink: its a summertime cooler. Period. Sure, some order it in the dead of winter just to remember what color, freshness, and life look likebut the drinks real purpose is avoid that third application of deodorant when the thermostat tops 104°. Point being: make it tall or go home.
2) And I apologize, but the mojito is a muddled drink. Im sorry, Im sorry, Im sorry, but at the end of the day this drink needs to be muddled.
Moreover, when this drink is muddled its as if the consumer can actually taste the bartenders love . Its as if the pain, sweat, tears, and hatred of making this drink is translated into the final product. So once again, I apologize, but its got to be muddled. Suck it up.
What Is A Mojito
The mojito is one of the most popular cocktails that is technically in the fizz cocktail family . Its traditionally served in a tall glass with ice .
While there are so many variations some of which Ill share below a basic mojito offers a combination of sweetness, tart lime, and herbal minty flavors:
- Fresh mint
- Club soda/sparkling water
It requires a little prep time because you need to muddle your mint . An excellent mojito relies on fresh ingredients, so make sure to use fresh mint leaves you can buy it, of course or better yet, pick it straight from your own herb garden.
Note: Dont over-muddle your mint or else it will make your drink bitter.
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What Does Muddle Mean
Its a weird word, but it just means mashing an herb, fruit or spice in the bottom of a glass to release its flavors.
A muddler is a bartenders tool used for the act of muddling. They come in all sorts of different sizes and forms, so shop around for what appeals to you the most.
We have this one thats on the end of our bar spoon its small, but gets the job done. You could even use the end of a wooden spoon.
How To Drink A Mojito
We hope you dont resort to drinking a budget version on some pleather nightclub seats. Instead, enjoy once in a beachside bar overlooking crystal clear waters, wearing a crisp linen shirt a pair of tailored shorts, a fedora and the finest pair of boat shoes known to man. You pretty much want to be in Cuba. Cigars and all.
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How To Make A Virgin Strawberry Mojito
Muddle strawberries and sugar in a glass to release the juices. Try and get the strawberry pieces small enough that they will fit through a straw. Use a blender in this step if preferred.
Add the lime juice and stir to combine.
Clap the mint together in your hands. Youll know its worked when your hands smell minty! Then, add to the glass and muddle very gently a couple of times.
Fill the glass with ice and soda water. Garnish with extra strawberries, mint and lime.
How To Make A Mojito:
So lets talk about how to make mojitos! For a single serving, simply:
That said, while making a mint mojito in a cocktail shaker is standard, I often take a shortcut and just muddle and mix everything together directly in the serving glass , which is just as delicious. )
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Twists On The Classic Mojito
Bitters: JJ Goodman from the London Cocktail Clubs recommends the addition of Angostura bitters to the top of the drink. Why? “A) for the aroma, and b) because I love how it lightly infuses with the bottom liquid in the drink,” he explains.
Berries: Cocktail Kate is a fan of adding a few berries to the glass before the mint . Raspberries, blackberries and strawberries work well, and you can also substitute half of the sugar syrup for a fruit liqueur in these cases to further amplify the fruity flavours.
Elderflower: Substitute the sugar syrup for elderflower cordial for a lighter, more fragrant mojito.
Tips For Making The Best Mojitos
1. Roll the limes to get as much juice as possible. Pressing down firmly with the palm of your hands, roll the lime back and forth as this loosens everything up inside and will help produce the most juice.
2. Use fresh mint. When I say fresh, I mean fresh. If you happen to have an herb garden, pluck it out just before preparing your mojitos. The more aged the mint, the less flavor it has and mint is kinda the star in this recipe, so let it shine.
3. Dont over-muddle the mint! If you tear it into a million pieces its going to get stuck in your straw, and also be bitter. And a bitter mojito sounds just terrible.
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The Muddled History Of Mojitos
So why does it feel like it just arrived on the scene? A little more than a decade ago it was on nary a cocktail list . Nevertheless, its now one of the holy triad of bar school drinks: cosmos, mojitos, lemondrops oh my! Its hard to say exactly why. Call it the slow food movement maybe it was the shift to fresh ingredients in drinks in the mid 90s. The sheer amount of time it has been with us lends itself to evolution and re-definition which explains why there are so many interpretations as to what this drink really isand, consequently, why its difficult to pin down its lineage. Regardless of where the mojito comes from or why it found its way back into the barroom, one thing is clear: the mojito is back and in a big way. So lets roll up our sleeves, play nice, and figure out how to make the mojito work for us.
Tips For Making The Perfect Mojito
So, how do you make a mojito? Whether youre sticking to the classics or creating different mojito recipes, here are a few tips to crafting the perfect mojito.
- Always keep your basic proportions the same. Use 1 1/2 oz. white rum to 1/2 lime, or about 1 oz. lime juice, to achieve perfectly balanced flavors.
- Slap the mint leaves between your hands several times before placing them in the glass. This stimulates the oils and creates maximum flavor transfer to your cocktail.
- Avoid ripping or tearing mint leaves, as this can create a bitter taste in drinks.
- Muddle and shake your cocktail with care so as to avoid crushing or ripping your mint leaves and lime.
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Use Rum You’d Drink Straight
Using a flavorless rum only makes the drink taste like a boozy, mint soda, David Mor, beverage manager, Cindys, Chicago, says. You dont have to blow your budget on a top-shelf bottle, but you should use a rum you like the taste of straight. The sugar, citrus, and mint adorn the spirit in this drink, they dont mask it.
Mojitos traditionally call for white rum, but you can certainly swap in dark, aged varieties. I like to use a dark rum to add a little bit more flavor, Kenneth McCoy, chief creative officer, Public House Collective, NYC, says. Whatever age statement or flavor profile you choose, remember that the spirit will be the most powerful flavor in your drink.