How do I make a mojito?

A proper mojito — the muddling technique that doesn't shred the mint, the right ratio, and how to build it in the glass.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 10 min
Read: 2 min
Safety: caution

Short answer

Press (don't shred) 8–10 mint leaves with sugar syrup and lime juice in the glass, add 50ml white rum, fill with crushed ice, top with soda and stir up from the bottom. Bruise the mint gently — tearing it releases chlorophyll, which tastes bitter and grassy.

The mojito is mostly technique. The ingredients are simple and forgiving; what separates a good one from a bad one is how the mint is treated and whether the drink is properly mixed after the ice goes in. Both take seconds and both are usually done wrong.

Safety

This is an alcoholic drink, for adults of legal drinking age only. Never serve alcohol to anyone under the legal age, and don't drink and drive. A mojito hides its alcohol well behind sugar, mint and soda — measure the rum rather than free-pouring.

What you'll need

50ml white rum
25ml fresh lime juice
20ml sugar syrup (or 2 tsp sugar)
8–10 fresh mint leaves plus a sprig
Soda water
Crushed ice
Tall glass and a bar spoon

Step by step

Put the mint leaves in the glass with the sugar syrup and lime juice.Syrup rather than granulated sugar dissolves properly in a cold drink.
Press the mint gently against the side of the glass 3–4 times with a muddler or spoon.Press and twist, don't pound. You want the oils released, not the leaf destroyed.
Add the rum and stir briefly.Measure it. Mojitos taste mild and are not.
Fill the glass about two-thirds with crushed ice.Crushed ice chills and dilutes faster, which a mojito wants. Cubes work but the drink stays sweeter and warmer.
Stir vigorously from the bottom up to mix and chill.This is the step people skip. Without it the sweet part sits at the bottom and the top is watery.
Top up with more crushed ice and a splash of soda water.Soda last, gently, so you keep the fizz.
Garnish with a mint sprig slapped once between your palms.Slapping releases the aroma. Most of what you taste in a mojito is what you smell as you drink.

Tips

Slap the garnish sprig rather than muddling it — it's for aroma, and torn mint in the garnish just looks tired.
Fresh lime juice only. Bottled lime juice has a cooked flavour that dominates a drink this simple.
Make sugar syrup by dissolving equal weights of sugar and hot water. It keeps for weeks in the fridge and is far better than granulated sugar in cold drinks.
For a non-alcoholic version, leave out the rum and add a little more lime and soda — it's genuinely good rather than a consolation.

Common mistakes

Pounding the mint — Shredding releases chlorophyll and bitter compounds. Gentle pressing releases the aromatic oils you actually want.
Using granulated sugar — It doesn't dissolve in a cold drink and sits at the bottom.
Not stirring after adding ice — The drink separates into a sweet bottom and a watery top.
Free-pouring the rum — A mojito masks alcohol very effectively. Measure it.

Questions people ask

What rum should I use?

A decent white rum. It doesn't need to be expensive — the mint and lime dominate — but very cheap rum brings a harshness you'll taste through everything else.

Can I make mojitos for a group in advance?

Pre-mix the rum, lime and syrup and refrigerate. Add mint, ice and soda per glass at serving — pre-mixed mint goes dark and bitter within an hour or two.