There is no other classic cocktail that is more refreshing than the Mojito, below learn how to make a mojito. The mojito is a cocktail that consists of five ingredients: white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime juice, sparkling water, and mint.
The Classic Mojito Drink Recipe
- 3 cups (packed) fresh mint leaves
- 9 Tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 cups light rum
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 6 cups of club soda
- 6 cups of crushed ice
- 6 lime wedges
How to Make a Mojito: Instructions
- Reserve six mint leaves for garnish.
- Place remaining mint leaves in a medium bowl.
- Add sugar.
- Mash with a wooden spoon until mint is aromatic and oils are released.
- Add rum and lime juice and stir until sugar dissolves.
- Strain mixture into a pitcher, (Can be prepared up to two hours ahead.)
- Add club soda to pitcher; gently stir.
- Fill each of six glasses with one cup crushed ice.
- Pour Mojito over and garnish each glass with one mint leaf and one lime wedge.
The History of the Mojito
The original Cuban recipe uses spearmint or yerba buena, a mint variety very popular on the island.
Cuba is the birthplace of the Mojito, although the exact orgini of this classic cocktail is the subject of debate. A story traces the Mojito to a similar 19th century drink know as “El Draque,” after Francis Drake.
The story goes that in 1586, Francis Drake ships sailed towards Havana but there was an epidemic of dysentery and scurvy on board. The local South American Indians had remedies for various tropical illnesses, and a small boarding party went ashore in Cuba and came back with the ingredients for the medicine.
The ingredients were aguardiente de caña (a crude form of rum, translates as fire water from sugar cane) added with local tropical ingredients; lime, sugarcane juice, and mint.
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