How To Make The Perfect Mojito Cocktail
Its the holiday thirst quencher that signals party time. Hell, even 007 used it to cool down after Halle Berry emerged from the ocean in Die Another Day, but do you really know how to make a mojito? Small on ingredients but big on flavour, the iconic mojito recipe is the perfect cocktail to add to your arsenal, whatever the occasion. Whether you are a fan of rum or not, getting the flavour combinations right can balance out the sour notes finishing with a dynamic cocktail that suits any palette. Never indulged in the tropical flavours? Take it from us, the best mojito recipe is one you need to put in your back pocket and what better time to start than World Rum Day?
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What Is The Secret To A Good Mojito
The secret to a perfect mojito is in the quality of the ingredients and the preparation. Don’t just mash the mint leaves a couple of times and expect to get a strong sweet mint flavor! Here are my top tips I’ve learned over the years of trial and error.
GRIND MINT LEAVES WITH SUGAR! Grinding mint leaves into a paste with the sugar is a total game changer for your mojito. This allows the mint flavor to really stand out in your drink instead of being a weak after taste.
DON’T SKIP THE SUGAR! It might be tempting to skip the sugar, but a mojito is a treat and an indulgence so in my opinion, don’t try to make it healthy. Enjoy a perfect mojito once instead of a weak and watery one. Life is short.
ALWAYS USE FRESH LIME JUICE! Fresh lime juice will always taste better than bottled lime juice.
BUY THE BEST RUM YOU CAN AFFORD. Top shelf liquor tastes so much better in mojitos and gives a very smooth taste.
The 5 Basic Ingredients For The Perfect Mojito
A fresh mint cocktail is made with rum, lime juice, simple syrup, and lime juice. These cookies are ideal for summer because they are simple to bake and delicious. There are only five ingredients in this recipe, and you only need to know a few basic tips. This classic mojito recipe does not require the use of a shaker or simple syrup. White rum is the main component of a mojito.
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What Is Caster Sugar
Caster, or castor, sugar is a type of fine granulated sugar that’s widely available in the United Kingdom. It’s not quite as common in the United States, though you can find it in some baking aisles under the name “superfine sugar.” Its texture is somewhere between regular granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar. What’s with the name? Years ago, this type of sugar was often found in a shaker and sprinkled on fresh fruits.
White Rum Dark Rum Or Golden Rum
Before you start knocking up your perfect mojito, it is vitally important to be aware of the different types of rum.
- White rum is a young rum that is obtained by fermenting and distilling sugarcane juice, which is then aged for less than a year.
- Golden rum is obtained by distilling sugarcane molasses, which is the product resulting from refining sugarcane into sugar. This rum is aged in barrels for at least 18 months.
- Dark rum is aged in oak barrels for no less than three years.
Although golden rum is generally used for cooking and cocktail-making, especially for creating flavoured rums, you are advised to use Cuban white rum for the perfect mojito.
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History Of The Mojito
Hailing from Havanna, Cuba, the exact origins of the Mojito are lost in time. The most popular theory is that European sailors newly arrived in Havanna, heard that the local indigenous people knew how to make effective medicines.
A boarding party was organized, who went ashore and came back with limes , sugar cane, mint, and a strong, locally made, sugarcane-based spirit . For sailors suffering from scurvy , the lime juice and mint would certainly have had medicinal qualities.
The four ingredients subsequently formed the basis of the much-loved Mojito.
How To Make A Mojito From Scratch
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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.
What Kind Of Mint Goes In A Mojito
Make sure you purchase the best stems for your mojito. Mints are my favorite variety for making mojitos, and spearmint is one of them. This type of mint is also a low-cost mint that can be found at supermarkets . Mint is sweeter and more mellow than peppermint, as a result.
Mint is the ideal type of mint to start with, and here she grows. Every year, I plant a pot of spearmint near my patio door to easily access it. This year, I chose Sweet Mint over the usual basil for a different reason. Mint has a cooling sensation in its mouth because of the menthol in it. Mint thrives and spreads quickly underground due to its low maintenance and underground growth. Creating impermeable walls and sunken edges is another option for controlling them. If you allow your bees to flower, you will be happy with the outcome.
When the weather cools down, a refreshing cocktail like the mojito is an excellent choice. This cocktail is simple to make and delicious, made with white rum, fresh lime juice, mint, and sugar. When IBA specified the ingredients, the IBA-made mojito gained a distinct and delicious flavor, as well as the ability to keep it refreshing. If youre looking for a refreshing drink that is both simple and tasty, a mojito is the one for you.
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How Did I Learn To Make The Best Mojitos
My easy technique comes from a bartender I met when we were on vacation in the Caribbean. He showed me that they prep a mojito simple syrup with mint and lime which ups the flavor in mojitos. You still muddle together some fresh mint and lime the old fashioned way, but adding in that mojito simple syrup elevates the flavor to a new level!
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The Mojito is a clean and simple highball, made with just one spirit. In that family is another rum drink, the gingery Dark and Stormy, which hails from Bermuda. And the Daiquiri, Hemingway’s real drink of choice, is another, tangier rum cocktail with deep roots in the Caribbean.
If it’s mint you’re after, the Mint Julep is packed with it, and bourbon.
Prop Styling by Ashley Naum
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Best Practices: Less Is More When Youre Making Mojitos
Its easy to botch Mojitos. Despite having four ingredients and breezy, tropical-island vibes, Mojitos require precision. In a drink with so few components, youll taste every off flavor, from subpar spirits to from-concentrate citrus.
Like their cousins, the Daiquiris, Mojitos are a combination of rum, lime juice, and a sweetener. Mojitos also involve fresh mint, an herb that seems hardy in the garden but goes from pleasantly muddled to limply lifeless in an instant. Making drinks with raw sugar also presents a challenge. If it isnt properly dissolved, youll be crunching on crystals with every sip.
We spoke with five bartenders about their tips for making stellar Mojitos. From at-home hacks, to the one bartending technique you should never ever use, here are five dos and don’ts for mastering Mojitos.
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.
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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.
Casa Sandra: The Best Mojitos In Austin
Although there are numerous variations on how to make a mojito, the basic ingredients are rum, lime juice, simple syrup, and fresh mint. The rum used in CasaSandras Cuban Mojitos is the same as that used in their regular mojitos, but the rum is different. CasaSandras mojitos are flavored with aejo 3 aos and aejo 7 aos, resulting in a richer and more flavorful drink. CasaSandra is a hidden gem in Austins downtown area, and their cocktails are some of the best in town. If you want a refreshing cocktail for summer or a more complex one, the mojitos at CasaSandra are well worth a look.
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How To Make A Pitcher Of Mojitos:
If you happen to be making a round of mojitos for a group, feel free to try out the mojito pitcher recipe below instead! To make a pitcher of mojitos, simply
How To Make A Mojito
Ready to learn how to make a mojito? Heres what you need to do:
First, muddle the mint. Place it in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and use a cocktail muddler to press it until it becomes aromatic. When youre muddling the mint, your goal isnt to pulverize it or crush it. Instead, just bruise it slightly to help it release its fragrant oils. This should only take a few taps with your muddler!
Second, shake! Add the rum, lime juice, simple syrup, and a handful of ice to the cocktail shaker, and shake it vigorously until the ingredients are completely combined and chilled.
Then, strain your mojito. Strain the contents of the cocktail shaker over a glass filled with ice. Top your glass with soda water, and garnish it with lime slices and more fresh mint sprigs.
Finally, taste and adjust. This step is essential anytime youre making a cocktail at home. It gives you a chance to customize your drink to your tastes, finding a balance of flavors you really love. If you prefer a tarter mojito, add an extra squeeze of lime juice. If you want it sweeter, stir in a bit more simple syrup. Not strong enough? Well, you know what to do.
Enjoy!
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Tips For The Best Mojitos
Here are a couple tips that Ive learned throughout the years of making my own mojitos at home.
- The key to this recipe is the added Mojito Simple Syrup. Do not skip it! It elevates the flavor to a whole new level!
- Serve it chilled. Mojitos that are served extra chilled and cold go down so much smoother. Just make sure you chill the simple syrup fully!
- Use a good quality rum! It makes all the difference to your final cocktail if you use a good quality white rum. There are so few ingredients in a mojito, make sure to use quality ones.
- Drinks always taste better with friends. Okay, so maybe this isnt really a tip but just one of those things that I think is true!
How To Make Mojito Simple Syrup:
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When To Serve A Mojito
The perfect afternoon drinks or serve it on one of these occasions:
Whats in a Mojito?
As already indicated, a Mojito contains fresh lime juice, white rum, mint leaves, and sugar.
Does a Mojito Contain Rum or Tequila?
The signature spirit in a Mojito is white rum. Distilled from sugar cane, it has a sweet, soft taste that works well with the other Mojito ingredients. In contrast, Tequila, distilled from the Agave plant, has a distinctive taste thats tangier and less sweet than white rum. Tequila works well with fruit juices and orange flavors, such as orange juice and triple sec or Cointreau.
What Kind of Mint Goes in Mojitos?
There is a variety of mint that works particularly well in a Mojito Mojito mint! The Mojito mint originated in Cuba . As such, it works particularly well when combined with the other ingredients, all of which are indigenous to Cuba. Mojito mint has a mild, peppermint flavor. When bruised, Mojito mint releases menthol-like compounds that result in a Mojito that feels cool and refreshing to drink. If you havent got any Mojito mint to hand, Spearmint will work pretty well.
What Goes Into A Mojito
- White rum: The main ingredient in the traditional recipe is the white rum. You can use any of your favorite brands for this recipe or stick to the classic Bacardi superior rum.
- Sugar: Adding white sugar or simple syrup, demerara or turbinado sugar for a richer flavor and will add sweetness to this cocktail.
- Fresh Mint leaves: You cant have a Mojito without fresh mint!
- Fresh Lime Juice: Lime juice not only adds a citrusy flavor to this cocktail but also brings in a slight sweetness.
- Sparkling Water: Add sparkling water or club soda for fizz.
- Garnish: Mint sprig and lime wedges are a perfect garnish for this classic cocktail.
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What Alcohol Is Best For Mojitos
It makes no difference what type of rum is used a great mojito requires great rum, which is distilled from cane sugar, or more precisely, molasses. In this cocktail, we typically use white rum, which is a mild, lighter spirit aged for a long time. Dark rums are aged for an extended period of time and have deeper flavors.
Its a recipe for a rum and lime juice cocktail called the vodka mint. Ernest Hemingway popularized the modern version of this drink in the 1930s, inspiring the creation of the modern drink. In a mixing bowl, combine the mint, honey, and sweetener until all of them are well combined and ice is formed. In mulling, a herb or fruit is gently mashed to release its juices. Even though it tastes best with rum, you can try adding gin or tequila if you have something on hand. The Vodka Mojito, despite its unique flavor, is not our favorite because rum plays such a significant role in its development.
If you want to stay healthy this summer, avoid the sugary and sweet cocktails and instead opt for a refreshing Mojito. This drink has a low calorie count and is made with a few simple ingredients. This is also an excellent way to cool off during hot weather. This summer, try a great Mojito to get you started on your summer cocktail list. A low-calorie drink that has only a few simple ingredients and is easily prepared. A refreshing cocktail like a mungo is a great way to enjoy this summer.