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Tall glass of mojito with fresh mint leaves, ice and a black straw on a wooden board

Easy Mojito (Classic Cuban)

A classic Cuban mojito with white rum, fresh mint, lime, sugar and soda water over crushed ice, crisp, minty and ready in 5 minutes.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Cuisine: Cuban
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 10 fresh mint leaves plus a sprig or two to garnish
  • 1 lime cut into 4 wedges
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 2 oz white rum
  • 1/2 cup chilled soda water or club soda (4 oz)
  • 1 cup crushed ice
  • Optional: extra lime wheel and mint sprig to garnish

Method
 

  1. Chill a tall highball glass in the freezer for 10 minutes, or fill it with ice water while you gather the ingredients.
  2. Add the mint leaves, lime wedges and sugar to the glass and muddle gently for about 10 seconds, just until fragrant. Do not shred the leaves.
  3. Pour in the white rum and stir briefly to dissolve the sugar.
  4. Fill the glass almost to the top with crushed ice.
  5. Pour the chilled soda water slowly over the ice.
  6. Stir two or three times from the bottom to lift the mint and lime through the ice without flattening the fizz.
  7. Garnish with a mint sprig, slapped between your palms first, and a lime wheel on the rim. Serve at once with a straw.

Notes

Muddle gently: pressing too hard tears the mint and pulls bitter flavors from the leaves and lime pith. Swap the sugar for 1/2 oz simple syrup if you prefer, or use brown sugar or demerara for a warmer flavor. Virgin mojito: skip the rum and add an extra splash of soda water and lime. For a pitcher, multiply everything by 8 and muddle in the pitcher, but add the soda water and ice only at serving time.