Perfect Mojito

Learn how to make my favorite mojito recipe with white rum, fresh lime, and mint! I’m sharing all my tips and tricks, including how to make a single mojito or a pitcher for a crowd.

When summer hits, this mojito recipe is my go-to! It’s simple, refreshing, and surprisingly easy to make at home.

Below, I’ve shared all my tips and tricks for making the perfect mojito, including some fun variations and a non-alcoholic version. For a fruity twist, check out our incredible blueberry mojito recipe.

Key Ingredients

• Rum: I use white rum to make mojitos because it’s lighter and crisp, and the color shows off what else is in the glass (like the green mint). You can use any white rum you enjoy. I’d just skip the overproof rums (like higher-proof 151 and the like). The rum you use doesn’t need to break the bank. A good quality, reasonably priced white rum will do the trick.
• Fresh Mint and Lime: Fresh ingredients make the absolute best mojitos. I muddle my mint and lime juice for the cocktail and then garnish the glass with more mint and a lime slice. You can add additional fruits as we do in this blueberry mojito. If you love minty cocktails, you might also enoy our mint julep cocktail, which muddles fresh mint with bourbon.
• Sugar: I use plain granulated sugar, but you can use simple syrup. Here’s our recipe for homemade simple syrup.
• Club Soda: I love club soda when making cocktails because it has a bit of salt added, which makes the cocktail taste even better. Sparkling water or seltzer water will work, too, but they often don’t have the added salt or minerals.

Mojito Recipe Variations

I love a classic mint mojito, but there are quite a few ways you can mix it up. Here are five of my favorites:

1. Fruity Mojitos: Make strawberry mojitos by muddling sliced strawberries with mint and lime juice. You can also experiment with other fruits like blueberries, peaches, blackberries, or raspberries. Here’s our recipe for blueberry mojitos.
2. Spicy Mojitos: Add a kick to your mojito by muddling slices of jalapeño or serrano pepper with the mint and lime juice.
3. Cucumber Mojitos: For a super refreshing cocktail, muddle a few cucumber slices into the mint and lime.
4. Coconut Mojitos: Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of coconut cream to the cocktail shaker with the muddled mint, lime juice, sugar, and rum. Shake with ice until frothy, and then serve over ice with a splash of club soda.
5. Virgin Mojitos: Use zero-proof rum or leave the rum out entirely and increase the club soda. You can substitute the club soda with flavored sparkling water to add flavor.