Classic Cuban Mojito cocktail with mint and lime

Mojito

Alessandro Scire Calabrisotto

The Mojito is summer in a glass: cool mint, bright lime, a whisper of sweetness and a clean white-rum backbone, all lifted by a splash of soda. Born in Havana and now one of the most-ordered cocktails on earth, it is living proof that the simplest combinations are often the most irresistible.

History of the Mojito

The Mojito traces its roots to Cuba, where its ancestor was a rough sixteenth-century remedy known as El Draque — named after the English privateer Sir Francis Drake. Sailors mixed aguardiente de caña (a crude forerunner of rum) with lime, sugarcane and mint to mask the harsh spirit and fend off scurvy and tropical illness. As rum-making refined over the centuries, that medicinal mix evolved into the bright, balanced drink we know today.

There are several theories behind the name: some link it to mojo, a Cuban lime seasoning, while others trace it to mojadito, Spanish for “lightly wet.” The cocktail became inseparable from La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, immortalised by the line often attributed to Ernest Hemingway: “My Mojito in La Bodeguita, my Daiquiri in El Floridita.” By 2016, international surveys named the Mojito the single most popular cocktail in both Britain and France.

Recipe: How to Make a Classic Mojito

The Mojito rewards a gentle hand and fresh ingredients. Here is the balanced, bar-standard build.

Ingredients:

  • 45 ml (1.5 oz) white rum
  • 20 ml (0.75 oz) fresh lime juice
  • 6 fresh mint sprigs
  • 2 tsp white sugar (or 20 ml sugar syrup)
  • Soda water, to top
  • Garnish: mint sprig and lime wedge

Instructions:

  1. Muddle gently: press the mint with the sugar and lime juice just enough to release the oils — never shred the leaves.
  2. Build: add a splash of soda, then fill the glass with crushed ice.
  3. Pour the rum and stir lightly to lift the mint and dissolve the sugar.
  4. Top with soda, add more ice, and garnish with a fresh mint sprig and a lime wedge.

Tips for Perfection:

  • Bruise, don’t shred the mint — you want aroma, not bitterness.
  • Slap the garnish mint between your palms to release its perfume before serving.
  • For a lower-sugar serve, swap the sugar for a no-sugar syrup — our NOSS base keeps the balance with zero added sugar.

Additional Recommendations

Variations:

  • Virgin Mojito (Nojito): the alcohol-free version — all the freshness, none of the rum.
  • Rose Mojito: a rose-flavoured twist first created at Albert’s Schloss in Manchester.
  • Cojito: add coconut, often via coconut-flavoured rum.
  • Dirty Mojito: gold rum with raw or demerara sugar for a caramel depth.
  • Strawberry Mojito: muddle fresh strawberries into the base.

Pairings:

The Mojito’s mint-and-citrus lift is made for fresh, bright food:

  • Ceviche: the lime echoes the dish’s acidity.
  • Grilled seafood: mint and soda cleanse the palate.
  • Cuban roast pork: a regional match made in Havana.

Presentation:

  • Serve in a tall Collins glass over crushed ice.
  • Crown with a generous bouquet of mint so the aroma hits before the first sip.
  • Add a lime wedge for colour and a final squeeze of brightness.

Curiosity: A Fun Fact About the Mojito

The Mojito’s fame owes much to Ernest Hemingway — or at least to the legend of him. The famous “My Mojito in La Bodeguita” inscription, signed in his name on the bar’s wall, still draws crowds today, even though several Hemingway biographers doubt he was much of a Mojito drinker at all. Great cocktails, it turns out, are built on great stories.

Sources

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