Classic Mojito
Learn how to make classic mojitos at home with this foolproof recipe! These not-too-sweet mojitos are minty-fresh, fizzy and delicious.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
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Finally! I’ve figured out how to make the perfect homemade mojito. Mojitos are bubbly rum cocktails that taste minty-fresh, citrusy and a little sweet. Club soda stretches out the flavors to create an afternoon-worthy sipper. Mojitos are ultra refreshing on warm days, and I feel like I’m on vacation every time I get my hands on one.
Mojitos originated in Cuba and I hope to taste a real one someday. We enjoyed Cuban-style mojitos in Miami over a long Valentine’s weekend earlier this year. Mojitos happen to be the only cocktail my husband will drink (he’s usually more of a beer and wine guy). I studied the bartenders’ methods while we were there so I could learn how to make them at home.
At Old’s Havana, they lined up highball glasses all the way down the bar, added a generous spoonful of sugar to each, followed by several sprigs of fresh mint (or yerba buena, as they call it). They mixed the mojitos in the glasses by the order, garnishing them with real sugar cane. I swizzled my drink and swayed to the beat of lively Latin string music playing just a few feet away. I honestly don’t know if it was an authentic or manufactured Miami experience, but it was magical nonetheless.
Outside of Miami, great mojitos can be hard to come by. Many bars don’t keep fresh mint on hand so they’ll turn down the request, and my own homemade attempts over the years have been lackluster. Now that I’ve studied and practiced my mojito technique, I’m excited to share my mojito recipe with you today!
Turns out, you just need five basic ingredients (mint, lime, sugar, rum and club soda) and a few simple tips to make the best mojito you’ve ever had. You won’t even need a shaker or simple syrup for this classic mojito recipe. Cheers!
Mojito Ingredients
Fresh Mint
Use the freshest, most beautiful mint you can find. If your mint is looking sad and wilted, you can try resuscitating it in a bowl of ice water for ten minutes. That usually perks it back up. Save the most beautiful sprigs for garnishing your mojitos.
Spearmint is my favorite mint variety for mojitos. As a plus, it’s the easiest type of mint to find at grocery stores (if you see ambiguously labeled “mint,” it’s probably spearmint). Spearmint is sweeter and more mellow than peppermint. Peppermint is loaded with menthol, which can give your mojito a strange cooling mouthwash effect. If you love to garden, consider growing mojito mint (mentha x villosa), which originated in Cuba and is considered the most authentic mint for mojitos.
Sugar
I use fine cane sugar in my mojitos, and it’s easy to adjust to taste. Most of the mojitos I’ve ordered at bars are too sweet for my liking, which is yet another reason why I love making mojitos at home. Some recipes call for simple syrup instead of sugar, but I actually like the texture of plain sugar in mojitos—the occasional sugar granule is a sweet surprise!
Rum
For a classic mojito, you absolutely want to use white rum, also known as clear, light or blanco. True Cuban rum is impossible to buy in the States due to the embargo, so we’ll make do with other Caribbean rums. Some of the best rums for mojitos are El Dorado 3 Years, Plantation 3 Stars, Flor de Caña, or of course, Bacardi.
Lime
Fresh lime juice is the only way to go! Reserve your most lovely green lime and slice it into rounds to garnish your mojitos.
Club Soda
We’ll top off our ice-filled glasses with club soda. Bubbly club soda transforms the intense flavors of rum, mint and lime into an easy sipper. Any club soda or plain sparkling water will do. Lately, I’ve been loving Topo Chico, which is not traditional but offers tons of tiny, persistent bubbles and no funny aftertaste.
Watch How to Make Mojitos
Suggested Mojito Equipment
Mojitos really are easy to make, especially when you have these tools (these links are affiliate links):
How to Make the Best Mojito
You’ll find the full recipe below. Here are a few tips for best results:
Select sturdy, thick-bottomed glassware. We’re mixing the drink in the glass and I’ve never had any problems doing so. Treat it with care, though, and don’t use Mom’s crystal.
Don’t muddle excessively. It’s tempting to muddle your mint into tiny pieces as you hope for maximally minty flavor. I know, I’ve done it myself (here’s proof). In fact, your mojito will taste better if you don’t overdo it, and the texture will be more enjoyable without tons of tiny mint bits floating around.
Adjust to taste. The recipe as written yields my ideal mojito, but please tweak it to suit your taste buds. Use a little less rum for a less boozy sipper. Add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter drink (our mojitos in Miami likely used between 2 teaspoons and 1 tablespoon of sugar). Or, omit the sugar entirely for a no-sugar cocktail (you might prefer some extra lime juice, which helps cut alcohol’s sharpness).
Gently smack your mint garnish before using. You think I’m kidding? Nope! We’re going to save one beautiful sprig of mint to garnish our drink. As a final touch, gently clap it between your hands to release some of those fragrant mint oils. Then, slide it into your drink with the top of the sprig staying above the surface. The fragrance will make your drink taste even more gloriously minty.
Mojito Variations
Add a dash or two of bitters: We were surprised to find Angostura bitters floating at the top of some of our Miami mojitos. I really like how they make a simple mojito taste subtly more complex. If you have bitters at home, it’s definitely worth a try.
Make it fruity: Muddle several slices of juicy, ripe fruit with your mint. For a tropical spin, try mango, pineapple or even kiwi. Or, you could try berries (strawberries, raspberries or blackberries), peaches or cherries. The sky’s the limit, really.
Try cucumber: Mojitos magically become even more refreshing when you muddle in a few chunks of peeled cucumber, as shown here.
Add basil and lemon: We’re getting pretty far from convention here, but I enjoyed this lemon-basil mojito variation.
More Classic Cocktails to Enjoy
Here are a few more refreshing cocktail recipes that are lovely on warm days. Check out my summer cocktails roundup for even more.
Classic Mojito
Learn how to make classic mojitos at home with this foolproof recipe! These not-too-sweet mojitos are minty-fresh, fizzy and delicious. You’ll just need white rum, club soda, fresh lime and mint, and sugar. Recipe as written makes 1 cocktail.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar, to taste
- 4 leafy sprigs of fresh mint, each about 5 to 6 inches long
- 2 ounces white rum
- ¾ ounce lime juice
- Ice
- Club soda or sparkling water (I like Topo Chico)
- Entirely optional: 1 to 2 drops of Angostura bitters
- 1 lime round, for garnish
Instructions
- In a sturdy, heavy-bottomed, tall cocktail glass, add the sugar and 3 sprigs of the mint (we’ll reserve the last sprig for garnish).
- Muddle the mint with the sugar about 5 to 10 times, until the mint is very fragrant (not so much that the mint completely falls apart).
- Pour in the rum and the lime juice, and gently stir a few times to help dissolve the sugar. Fill the glass with ice.
- Fill the glass with club soda nearly to the top. Gently stir in a circular motion to combine, then use your spoon to drag some of the muddled mint higher up into the glass.
- Taste, and stir in more sugar if desired. Add a drop or two of bitters, if desired.
- To garnish, place the lime round in the glass. Gently clap the remaining sprig of mint between your palms (this releases some of the oils) and tuck it into your glass, leaving the top exposed. Serve cold, with a wide straw.
Notes
Measurement tips: If you’re working with standard measuring cups and spoons, two ounces is ¼ cup and ¾ ounce is 1 ½ tablespoons.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Excited about this Mojito recipe! Wondering if you’ve ever tried a little jalapeño in a Mojito? I had one a while back; it was amazing!!
Hi Jeanne! That sounds delicious. I love a little spice. Thank you for your review.
If you want to make it truly authentic, you have to put in a few drops of Angostura Bitters at the end. It adds just the right amount of “no se que” that will make people go “Whaaaaaaat???”
Thank you for sharing, Susan!
My husband (who is 50% Cuban) and I have been trying mojito recipes for about a year now and none of them have really hit the mark until this one!! The dash of bitters really helped round out the whole drink. Thank you for finally helping us feel like we’re doing so diligence to my hubby’s Cuban heritage with our in home cocktail experience.
I’m glad to hear it! Thank you for sharing, Hannah.
I love a tart ginger mojito and usually make simple sugar syrup with a fraction of the sugar and muddle the ginger with the mint. The bitters sounds great, can’t wait to try it!
Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Michele! Make sure to report back on what you think.
Hi Kate, This sounds amazing! Can you clarify though the meaning of ” Place the sugar in a sturdy, heavy-bottomed, tall cocktail glass. Add the sugar…” Adding sugar to sugar? I’d like to try this very soon. Thanks.
Hi! Sorry that seems confusing. Add the sugar to the heavy bottomed glass, then add the mint per instructed. I hope that helps!
Oh I can’t wait to try this !! Fell in love with mojitos on a vacation in Miami years ago. This recipes sounds perfect !! I’m sure I will be back to give it 5 stars after trying this weekend.
I’m glad they won you over! Yes, please be sure to report back Lynn.
Hi Kate, this is really wonderfull receipt. I love this
Thank you!
A few years ago there was a restaurant and bar in Berkeley called TRex ( yea like the dinosaur) it was a fun and beautiful place that had one of the largest collections of whiskey on the west coast, in credible BBQ, orchetta mac and cheese and artisanal drinks. There well was Buffalo Trace bourbon which didn’t need anything on the rocks, but they they made the best Mint Julip this side of the Mississippi. Maybe the other side too?
Good tips. I think the big thing (and this goes for a lot of recipes) is adjust to your taste. I actually like the mojitos that I make at home better than most of them I’ve ordered. (I’ve never been to Miami or Cuba, would rush to order one there!) I’m very generous with the lime and mint, because that is how I like them.
I’m glad you know what you already want to adapt! Thank you for sharing.
i love this mojito. thanks for sharing the recipe.
We didn’t have enough white rum so we used 3 oz of rum and 3 oz of tequila, wow, revved it up a notch!
Love them.
Hi. I am throwing my husband a birthday party and this is his favorite drink. I don’t drink alcohol so I am not familiar with brands. Which brand of rum do you recommend?
See my post for my recommendations. I hope he enjoys it!
Hi Kate, love your cocktail recipes. I want to make a pitcher of mango mojito for a large gathering. Can you please suggest how to make one. Thanks, Ananya
Hi Kate, love all your cocktail recipes. Can you please suggest how to make mango mojito pitcher for large gathering.
Hi Ananya! I sent you an email. I hope you enjoy it!
Many nurseries carry Mojito Mint starts each Spring. I have had mine for three years now, planted in a 12″ pot and it has survived outdoors year round.
Nothing compares to the amazing flavor and scent of the true Mojito Mint!
GREAT recipe! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Theresa!
Fabulous!
Great to hear, Laura! Thank you for your review.