Perfect Classic Mojito Recipe
There are approximately three bazillion ways to make a mojito. Some people add a splash of bitters, some use a lime drink mix, and some use simple syrup in place of the sugar. But while ANY mojito is, in my book, a good mojito, there’s really only one way to make a classic mojito. And it doesn’t include simple syrup, people– I know that makes things easier, but it’s just not the same.
Just an fyi… the oh-so-hairy arms in the photos below are not mine. I swear.
A Simple, Classic Mojito Recipe
Ingredients:
2 oz. 3 year aged rum (use white in a pinch, but don’t use a real añejo)
Juice of half a lime (about 1/2 oz.)
1 heaping teaspoon of brown sugar (you can also use white, but I like brown)
1 generous sprig of mint, leaves only
2 oz. soda water
Tons of crushed ice
Instructions: 1. Dump sugar into a highball glass. (Or whatever you have that’s not too tall– cocktail glasses are hard to find in Spain, so I just use whatever.)
2. Add mint leaves. Crush and mix them into the sugar with the back of a spoon or a pestle (you know, from a mortar and pestle– this works best). It’s a bit of work to do it this way, but worth it.
3. Add lime to mint and mix.
4. Fill glass with crushed ice.
5. Add rum. Mix well.
6. Fill remainder of glass with soda water. Your finished mojito should not be clear and sparkling and pretty. It should be cloudy and full of green bits.
It seems odd that you would use brown sugar instead of powdered or granulated white sugar for the syrup, but not use a dark rum.
Hey Mojito… This is how they make them in Spain, and it really is my favorite. While I don’t use a dark, añejo rum, I do use an aged rum– it’s not white.
However, it’s probably true that this isn’t a TRUE traditional Mojito, as this is the recipe popular in Spain… not the true one that originated from Cuba. I’ll have to try your recipe, as it looks great!
-Karen