How to make the perfect mojito

How to make the perfect mojito

Learn how to make the perfect mojito. The original mojito recipe exists of only 4 ingredients: sugar,  lime, rum and mint. As you can see, soda or lemonade is not one them. The mojito is a sweet and very refreshing cocktail. It is quite easy to make as long as you stick to some basic instructions. The mojito is all about finding the right balance. You should be able to taste each ingredient, with each working in harmony. In this blog article we we explain you how to make the perfect mojito.

Ingredients for the perfect mojito

• 5 cl rum (aged 3 years in oak barrels)
• 15 to 20 mint leaves
• ½ teaspoon of cane sugar
• 2 cl sugar syrup
• 4 cl freshly squeezed lime juice
• A lime part

Instructions for the perfect mojito

1. First put 15 to 20 mint leaves into a Collins glass
2. Add the cane sugar and sprinkle it over the mint
3. Take a muddler and scratch the cane sugar into the mint. Don’t muddle too hard, a slight scratch is more than enough to release the mint aroma’s
4. Add the rum, the sugar syrup and the lime juice. Squeeze a lime part into the glass and add it to the mojito cocktail
5. Fill the glass with crushed ice an stir. Take care that the crushed ice comes directly from the freezer. Otherwise you risk to dillute the mojito with the melted water.
6. Garnish the mojito with some mint leaves. Gently squeeze them in order to release some extra aroma’s

Should you add soda to the mojito?

The original mojito recipe is without soda, no doubt about that. This gives the cocktail an extra rum kick.  Often bartenders top up the mojito with soda or seltzer. The risk of this is that you dillute the perfect combination of the different tastes. Too much soda will make it taste watery, the mojito will lose its perfect taste . If you like it all a little sweeter you can add a little lemonade (such as sprite or 7-up). But take care, only use a small dash of lemonade. I also tried it with ginger-ale which a really good result, better than soda or lemonade. But remember, the original mojito recipe does not contain soda…

Some extra tips for the perfect mojito

In order to make the perfect mojito, it is very important to use fresh ingredients. Make sure that the mint leaves are freshly cut and use freshly squeezed lime juice. Make sure you don’t muddle the mint leaves too aggressively. This could release a bitter aroma.

You can replace the aged rum with white rum although the aged rum gives an extra aroma to the perfect mojito.

We use sugar syrup in our mojito. This can of course be replaced with crystalline sugar leading to a sugary mess on the bottom of the glass. That’s the reason why most bartenders use sugar syrup in their mojito cocktails.

We use freshly squeezed lime juice for the perfect mojito. You can also muddle lime parts but the risk is that you muddle them too hard… releasing a slightly bitter touch.

How to make the perfect mojito with a twist?

One of the most common techniques is the addition of berries to the mojito. First you put the berries into the glass where you muddle them.

Than you prepare the mojito as already explained. It does not have to be difficult. Some examples of mojitos with berries are the following:

• The strawberry mojito
• The raspberry mojito
• The blackberry mojito

Sometimes the rum is replaced by another ingredient. It gives the cocktail a quite different taste and one can argue if it is still a mojito or not. Some examples are cocktails like

• The aguardiente mojito: replace the rum with aguardiente. This is quite popular in South America
• The pimm’s lemon mojito: replace the rum with pimm’s
• The milky mojito: replace the rum with pastis.

You can also prepare a mojito royal. Follow the instructions for the perfect mojito but in the end top your mojito up with champagne. This champagne cocktail is one of the most popular variations of the classic mojito.

Some bartenders add bitters such as angostura bitters to the mojito. This adds an extra aroma to the cocktail. Another option is to use a different type of syrup with an extra flavor such as elderflower cordial.

How to make the perfect virgin mojito?

Even people who don’t want to drink alcohol can make the perfect mojito. Follow the instructions for the perfect mojito but leave out the rum. Replace the rum with 10 to 15 cl of ginger ale or soda. Another option is to add some crushed berries in order to add more taste.

Cheers!!