Cuba · Beverages · Quick
Classic Mojito
Cuba's most famous cocktail: fresh mint pressed just enough to release its oils, sharp lime juice, white rum and a long pour of cold soda water over ice. The key is restraint — with the muddling, with the sweetness, with everything.
5 min 170 kcal 1 serves Easy⚡Quick🇨🇺Cuba★★★★★4.8· 5 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 60 mlwhite rum
- 30 mlfresh lime juice
- 15 mlsimple syrup or agave syrup
- 10 fresh mint leaves, plus 1 sprig for garnish
- 90 mlcold club soda or sparkling water
- 1 cupcrushed ice or ice cubes
- 1 lime wedge
Method
- Prepare your glass and garnish. Take a fresh mint sprig, place it in one palm and clap your hands together firmly — this bruises the leaves just enough to release their aromatic oils without tearing them. Set aside. Fill a highball glass with crushed ice.
- Muddle the mint. Place the 10 mint leaves in the bottom of the glass. Add the lime juice and simple syrup. Using a muddler, press gently 3 to 5 times with a twisting motion. You want to bruise the leaves — not pulverise them. Over-muddling releases bitter compounds.
- Add the rum and stir. Pour the white rum over the muddled mint. Stir with a bar spoon for 10–15 seconds. Taste and correct the balance before the soda goes in.
- Add ice. If you muddled in a separate vessel, strain over fresh ice in your highball glass. Otherwise make sure it is well-filled with ice.
- Top with soda and garnish. Pour the cold club soda slowly down the side of the glass. Stir gently once to lift the mint. Add the pre-slapped mint sprig upright and the lime wedge. Serve immediately.
FAQ
Bitterness is almost always caused by over-muddling. Three to five gentle presses is all you need. Always muddle with lime juice present, not dry.
Rate this
Rate this recipe
Keep browsing
More dishes from the Cuban archive — picked by overlap with what you're cooking now.
Join the conversation
Comments (1)
I always chill the glasses for classic mojito — 15 minutes in the freezer transforms the drinking experience. The frost on the glass keeps everything at the perfect temperature through the last sip.