Mojito (The Classic Cuban Cocktail with Mint and Lime)

This classic Cuban mojito is made with fresh mint, lime, sugar, white rum, and soda water. It's bright, refreshing, and one of the easiest cocktails to make at home.

I love how a handful of ingredients can create something that tastes so lively. The lime gives it a crisp citrus bite, the mint adds that unmistakable cooling note, and the rum ties everything together.

I muddle fresh mint and lime with a little sugar, releasing their fragrant oils before I add white rum and soda water. I'll sometimes strain a mojito, which isn't the classic Cuban way, but it creates a clean glass for serving. Other times, I'll keep it rustic with the muddled mint and lime in the glass. You can't go wrong either way.

This classic mojito is a light, bubbly, and incredibly easy cocktail to sip. It's the kind of drink I reach for on warm days when something fresh and classic sounds perfect.

Kristen Stevens

Mojito (The Classic Cuban Cocktail with Mint and Lime)

A classic Cuban mojito made with muddled fresh mint, lime, and sugar, then topped with white rum and soda water. It's crisp, refreshing, and wonderfully simple.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Servings: 1 cocktail

Course: Cocktail

Ingredients

  

• 1 lime sliced into 4 slices
• 10 mint leaves
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar see notes
• 2 ounces white rum
• Soda water to top

Method

 

1. Place the lime slices, mint leaves, and sugar into a tall glass.
   1 lime, 10 mint leaves, 1-2 teaspoons sugar
   
2. Muddle well for at least 10 seconds to squeeze the juice from the lime and release the flavor from the mint leaves.
   
3. Fill the glass with ice, then add the rum and top with soda water.
   2 ounces white rum, Soda water
   

Notes

The easiest way to make a mojito is to add the ice, rum, and soda water directly to the glass after muddling the lime and mint. Making it this way is wonderfully easygoing, but it results in a casual, slightly messy cocktail. For a prettier drink, strain the lime juice after you muddle it into a new glass before adding the rum and soda - it's what we did for the photos. 

How much sugar you add will depend on how sweet you like your cocktails. 1 teaspoon makes a mojito that is fairly tart; 2 teaspoons make a more traditionally sweet mojito.