a revolutionary recipe for the perfect mojito

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure for more information.

Get ready folks, this truly is a perfect mojito recipe.

Many bars and bartenders argue over the authentic way to make Cuba’s classic Mojito cocktail.

But this revolutionary recipe trumps the lot.

The best mojito recipe

I have had friends tend bar in different cocktail bars on at least three different continents.

Every single one of those bars has a different recipe for Mojitos.

Yet they all claim that their particular recipe is the one and only real way to make Cuba’s signature cocktail.

Traditionalists may consider the following recipe a blasphemous defamation of the longstanding cocktail bibles.

But however skeptical, give it a try.

I have no doubt that even the most steadfast opposition will struggle not to agree.

As for any first-timers, count yourselves very lucky to discover the world’s best Mojito recipe.

You don’t have to spend years searching for and tasting below par mojitos.

What you need to make a perfect mojito

 

A mojito in a mason jar on a wood table

 

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 lime wedges
  • 6- 8 good-sized mint leaves (a small handful, and no stalks)
  • 1 heaped teaspoon of brown sugar, or two good-sized brown sugar cubes
  • 50ml white rum.

It really is as simple as that!

To make the perfect mojito, you will need these items:

  • Cutting Board
  • Chef’s Knife
  • Cocktail Shaker
  • Muddling Stick
  • Measuring Spoon
  • Jigger
  • Highball Glasses

You want to use quality ingredients for this recipe

We should note that the quality of a mojito depends first and foremost on the quality of the products used.

It is therefore CRITICAL that the mint is fresh and without any brown leaves.

Similarly, limes need to be ripe and juicy.

A good white rum is best, preferably Bacardi or Havana Blanco.

Make sure that ice is as cold as possible, ideally straight out of the freezer.

You want to avoid any watering down of the drink (heaven forbid!).

How to make the perfect mojito

Now here is the exciting bit.

But another warning first: the Mojito, like most classic cocktails, contains very few ingredients.

But this means that getting the method and the balance right is, as with ensuring the quality of the ingredients, of the utmost importance.

There are no colorful and overpowering liqueurs or juices to cover up any mistakes or miscalculations here.

The simplest cocktails are, therefore, often the easiest to get wrong.

So start by preparing your lime.

Start with muddling a juicy lime

First, roll the lime on a hard surface under the palm of your hands to help soften it and make it more juicy.

Cut the lime into halves and then cut the half/halves into quarters.

If the lime is big, four pieces (ie half a lime) should suffice for one Mojito.

If the lime is a little on the small side, use five wedges.

Take a cocktail shaker and squeeze the juice from the lime wedges into the shaker.

If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you can use a large mason jar. 

Or a jam jar if it’s a good size.

Then drop them in. blank

Or, better still, if you have some kind of muddling stick or a pestle, muddle (crush) the lime wedges in the bottom of the shaker.

Muddling is best as the skin of the lime contains oil that gives the cocktail that extra little sharpness and bite.

I have both a stainless steel and a wooden muddler.

If you need one, I like starting with a stainless one as it can go in the dishwasher.

Then add the heaped teaspoon of brown sugar and the rum.

If using sugar cubes, you will need to muddle again at this point.

Now add a full tumbler’s worth of good, solid ice cubes into the mix (this should fill roughly a half to two thirds of the cocktail shaker or jar).

Do not muddle your mint leaves

Finally, take your mint leaves and tear them in half.

Then drop them into the shaker on top of the ice and all the other ingredients.

DO NOT MUDDLE THE MINT!

The cocktail will be fresher and greener this way.

And you are also less likely to suck up nasty little soggy green/brown bits of bruised mint through your straw.

You know, so the ones that might then get stuck in your teeth and gums without you knowing (not a good look!).

Now you are ready to shake.

So close the cocktail shaker or jar and shake like crazy until the shaker is ice cold in your hands and plenty of mist has formed on the outside.

The difference between a short mojito and a long mojito

This kind of mojito is what is generally referred to as a ‘short’ Mojito.

A ‘long’ Mojito tends to be topped with soda (and sometimes lemonade too) and served in a long glass.

And if you like a long mojito, you’ll probably also like our Jamaican Limeade recipe.

But why on earth would you want to dilute all these wonderfully powerful, sense-inducing and delicately balanced sharp/sweet and aromatic scents and flavors?

Then, pour the entire contents of the shaker into a short glass, preferably a nice, hefty tumbler with plenty of girth.

Shove a short straw in and that is that!

If you’re using a mason jar for your beverage glass, I like the ones that come with a lid to keep flies out of your drink while sipping outside.blank

As well as enhancing the overall flavor of the drink, my method also results in a refreshing, evenly-spread green color, adding to the illusion that a Mojito is actually good for you.

After all, it does contain at least one of your five a day.

Now all that’s left is to sit back and enjoy the fruits of all that blood, sweat and tears.

A revolutionary recipe it may be, but isn’t that fitting considering Cuba’s history?

I’m sure that once tasted, even your taste buds will be screaming ‘Viva la revolucion!’

More Mojito recipes to try!

If you love a great mojito (even a non-traditional one), you may enjoy trying some of these mojito recipes too:

Boozy Lime Dole Whip Mojitos

Pineapple Mojito

Guava Mint Mojito

Raspberry and Blueberry Silver Tequila Mojito

Pineapple Mojito with Strawberry Slush

Pomegranate Mojito

Watermelon Mojito

try it and share!

Please let us know how you enjoy our perfect mojito recipe.

If you make it yourself, please let us know on Pinterest that you tried it and tag us with #champagneandcoconuts on your Instagram photo.

If you haven’t had a chance to make it yet, be sure to save the recipe on Pinterest so you’ll remember where you found it.

You may enjoy following our Mojito Recipes board on Pinterest, too

 

A Cuban mojito made with fresh mint and limes, served in a mason jar. Text: The perfect mojito a revolutionary recipe

 

The perfect mojito served with lime and fresh mint in a mason jar.

Perfect Mojito

Jennifer Quisenberry
The perfect mojito is a classic Cuban cocktail recipe. This "short" mojito is made with rum, limes, fresh mint, and brown sugar.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 3 minutes
Total Time 3 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine Cuban
Servings 1
Calories 165 kcal

Equipment

  • Cutting Board
  • Chef's Knife
  • Cocktail Shaker
  • Muddling Stick
  • Measuring Spoon
  • Jigger
  • Highball Glasses

Ingredients
  

  • 4-5 wedges limes
  • 6-8 leaves mint fresh, no stems
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar heaping
  • 50 mL white rum Bacardi or Havana Blanco
  • ice use enough to fill the shaker 2/3 full

Instructions
 

  • Roll the lime on a hard surface under the palm of your hands to make it juicy.
  • Cut the lime in half. Then cut each half into quarters.
  • In a cocktail shaker, squeeze the juice from 4-5 lime wedges into the shaker. Then drop the wedges inside.
  • Using a muddling stick, muddle (crush) the lime wedges in the bottom of the shaker to release the lime's essential oils.
  • Add 1 heaping Tbsp of brown sugar. If you are using sugar cubes, you will need to muddle again now.
  • Pour 50 mL white rum over the top of the limes and brown sugar. 
  • Add ice to fill the shaker 2/3 full.
  • Gently tear your mint leaves in half and drop them into the shaker on top of the other ingredients. Do not muddle the mint.
  • Close the cocktail shaker and shake until it is ice cold.

Notes

You may subsitute 2 brown sugar cubes for 1 heaping Tbsp of brown sugar. Please note that our nutrition information is an approximation and may change depending on your choice of ingredients. 

Nutrition

Calories: 165kcal
Keyword perfect mojito
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Give us some love!

1 thought on “a revolutionary recipe for the perfect mojito”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





Scroll to Top